The Plan
by HitsInTheEye
Summary: The time has finally come. Time to end the serialization! Confession! Or should I say, confessions! Finally, at long last, the Nisekoi girls have decided to reveal their true feelings. What will happen? Main arc complete. Bonus arc, start!
1. Part One - The Plan

**The Plan **

_Part One  
><em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **If you're just coming off the anime or not that very far in the manga, spoilers ahead~ Proceed at your own risk._

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><p>Sitting at her desk as the first few rays of sunlight began to pass through her window. Dark, brown hair and equally brown eyes, a slender girl in her second-year at Bonyari High School. Clad in her pajamas, Onodera Kosaki sat at her desk, face buried into her arms, looking as if she hadn't slept for weeks.<p>

"Today..."

She turned her head slowly to look at the cellphone blinking next to her hand. Her alarm was going off, vibrating like a buzzing bee against her thumb. The conversation from last night with her best friend, Miyamoto Ruri, flashed through her mind.

_Today..._

_I..._

She twisted her face back into her arms, rubbing her sore eyes against them. Since middle school, or perhaps as long as eleven years ago, Onodera Kosaki had been mustering every drop of courage she had for this moment. It boiled inside her chest and made her face redden just at the thought of it.

In a mansion a distance away from the Onodera sweet shop, there was another girl in her second-year at Bonyari High School. Having eaten what others would consider an outrageously big meal before heading to bed, Kirisaki Chitoge had fallen asleep like a rock. Drooling slightly, the blonde girl with stunning blue eyes had snored away and clutched at her pillow and stuffed gorilla doll, rolling back and forth so vigorously on the bed that her sheets fell to the floor. When she awoke, she was completely upside down, head hanging off the edge of her mattress, and the annoying face of her gorilla doll staring back at her from the floor.

"Geh..."

Chitoge grabbed the gorilla and reluctantly threw it back onto her bed. She sat up and hugged her pillow, her hair splaying out like shooting stars in every direction. Her tired eyes crept over to the clock sitting by her bed, indicating that morning had arrived and it was time to head to school.

Chitoge sighed and collapsed back onto her bed. While most of the time dreams were something that would fade away into nothingness shortly after awakening, Chitoge's dream was being incredibly stubborn. It was pounding in her head, every single scene, every little feeling being embedded into her memories. A dream that had pushed something at her, an idea that wouldn't leave. Like the annoying gorilla that she now fiddled with on top of her pillow, it was something that she wanted to throw away with all her might, but...

Even then, it still sat on her pillow.

"This sucks," mumbled Chitoge, her voice muffled by the pillow. She grabbed the pillow and pushed her face into it. "Gahhh! What are you thinking, Chitoge!? Don't be stupid!"

She dropped back down onto the bed and peeked up from her pillow. The gorilla stared smugly at her.

"Am I really going to..." said Chitoge, squeezing her eyes shut. "Today...?"

A few rooms over, a girl who could be mistaken as a beautiful boy if it wasn't for the distinctive curves of her well-sized chest was also suffering from this dilemma. In an apartment belonging to the Chief of Police, in the room next to Onodera Kosaki, in the bed of a certain yakuza heir, there were girls that had somehow come to the same conclusion, the same decision that was currently being reconsidered over and over again by Kirisaki Chitoge and Onodera Kosaki.

Today, these girls were going to confess to a boy named Ichijou Raku.

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><p><strong><em>AN:_** _The story is actually a oneshot, but because it was turning out to be a bit long, it'll be released in parts. _


	2. Part Two - At School

**The Plan**

_Part Two  
><em>

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><p>Ichijou Raku felt tired as he walked to class. Besides the fact that it was that time of the year where exams were closing in again, Raku had spent the morning cooking breakfast for yakuza gang members at his home and trying to convince his "elder sister," Kanakura Yui, to stop sleeping in his futon. Unable to get a straight answer from her, Raku had merely sighed and left early to go feed the animals in the school pen. It had made him feel a little better, but it didn't change the fact that the day wasn't starting out very well for him.<p>

Fortunately, there was always one thing to look forward to at school.

"Good morning Onodera!"

Yes. Although it hadn't turned out exactly like he had wanted, that disastrous seating change at the beginning of the year had resulted in his neighbor being the girl that he had secretly loved since middle school. Onodera Kosaki. Every morning, seeing her sweet smile and hearing her cheerful reply was enough to dispel any negativity from Raku's body. It was like being embraced by a mother's warmth. Just seeing Onodera was enough to light up the rest of his day.

"G-Good morning, Ichijou-kun."

Raku felt like he had just been shattered into a thousand pieces. Something was wrong. The normally cheerful reply was suddenly faint and half-hearted. In fact, she wasn't even looking at him! Her face was in the complete opposite direction!

"Uh...Onodera? Is something wrong?"

"W-Wrong? No, of course not. Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine. Ahaha, why would you even ask that, Ichijou-kun?"

A second shattering blow. So quick. The response had been so quick that it felt dismissive. What was going on here? Hadn't they wished each other a good weekend at the end of school last week? Hadn't they been on terms close enough that he had texted her a cat video just the day before? They had even chatted for a little on the phone. In fact, if he was to compare himself to the Raku of one year ago, he was sure that his past self would be jealous enough to cry blood.

"Hey...Chitoge. Do you think Onodera's acting a little strange-"

"Don't talk to me." An instant reply that chilled Raku into ice.

"C-Chitoge?"

The hand that Raku put out to touch Chitoge's shoulder stopped in mid-air. An intense wave was coming from Chitoge, so fierce that Raku's hand was refusing to listen to him. He fearfully slid into his seat, wondering what the hell was going on.

_What should I do? _Right now, Kirisaki Chitoge was in immense contemplation. It wasn't the matter of the confession, but a different beast altogether. Or rather, if the confession was the dark mage that was the final boss, then this problem would be the dragon he kept as his minion.

A glitter of gold and a small clink from under the collar of Chitoge's uniform.

Ichijou Raku's pendant was currently hanging around her neck.

Because of the frustration of this morning, Chitoge had been running a little late to school; she had decided to jump over the wall to save a bit of time. However, as had happened often in the past, she had seen something glinting on the ground near the animal pens.

_Idiot. Why do you keep dropping this thing if it's so important to you?_

Sighing at his usual obliviousness, Chitoge had picked up the pendant and decided to give it back to him in class. It was a simple gesture, something that any normal person would probably do if they were in her shoes.

So it wasn't until Chitoge had taken her seat in class and seen Raku enter that the thought had entered her mind. The reason why picking up the pendant had been the worst thing that she could've done today.

The pendant wasn't a secret or anything. But it was likely that Raku wanted to keep the true story behind the pendant to himself and his friends. After all, putting aside the issues of privacy, there was also the fact that Raku and his pseudoharem was frequently at the center of discussion. Learning about the pendant would surely only start up more rumors and cause all sorts of misunderstandings to happen.

That was why Chitoge couldn't just return the pendant to Raku any time she felt like it. It was more appropriate to do it away from the classroom or when they had a moment alone. But then there was the matter of the confession. It wasn't like she could just return the pendant and then say "Ah, also one more thing. Raku, I think I've fallen in love with you!" Stupid, stupid! Just thinking about it ruined the mood! Chitoge couldn't bear confessing in that kind of situation. No, if she was going to confess, it wasn't going to be secondhand to this damn problem pendant.

But she had promised herself to confess today. If she didn't do it today, she wasn't sure if she'd have enough nerve left for a next time. But returning the pendant would mean wasting one of the few opportunities they had where they weren't in the center of a gossip cyclone. And if she didn't return the pendant, this idiot would probably notice soon and start fretting over it. And then the question would be why Chitoge hadn't returned the pendant right at this moment, when everyone was settling in for the morning class and not really putting much attention on the star-destined couple anyways!

_GAAAHHH! What do I do...?_

Return the pendant, lose the confession.

Keep the pendant, but then make it harder to confess.

The waves emitting from Chitoge grew stronger. Raku involuntarily shivered as he began putting his textbooks in his desk.

_What's with this situation...?_ thought Raku. On his left, an Onodera that was trying her hardest to ignore him for some reason. On his right, a Chitoge looking more like a fuming gorilla than ever before.

"Ehem. Good morning, everyone!"

Kanakura Yui, the teacher and "elder sister" of Ichijou Raku, stepped up to the front of the classroom with her usual, bright smile. She gave a little wave and winked discreetly at Raku. For some reason, Raku couldn't help but feel like the day was just going to get worse.

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><p>Elsewhere in the school, in a first-year classroom, more trouble was brewing this morning. Onodera Haru, the younger sister of Onodera Kosaki, was reading and rereading the letter that she had spontaneously written the night before. Her friend, Fuu-chan, was watching her quietly from the side of her desk.<p>

"I-It's not what you think," said Haru. Once again, Fuu-chan was showing that happily blank face.

"Hmm? What am I thinking about?" said Fuu-chan. Haru turned her reddening face back to the letter. It was no use. Ever since she had started liking Ichijou Raku, Fuu-chan had been having that "I know what's really going on here" glint in her eyes. Now, when she actually had a full-blown love letter right in her hands, there was no way that she could convince her perceptive, but also sometimes annoying, best friend that she didn't have a crush on Ichijou Raku.

After all, she clearly did.

Haru sighed and her head made its way down to the cool surface of her desk, the cheesy, almost disgustingly romantic confession resting face-down on her springy cowlick.

"Ok. I like him. I really really like him. I like that dense idiot that always nosing his way into other people's business, that doesn't have a single clue that my sister likes him even though she's been trying so hard everyday to get her feelings across, that stupid moron that has great taste in food and isn't bad at cooking and looks really good in a kimono-"

Haru banged her head against the desk. Her classmates looked up, startled at the sudden noise.

"Nggh..." groaned Haru, her eyes scrunching up. "...I like him, Fuu-chan. Even though Sis likes him..."

"Haru..."

"Today...I'm going to give him this letter," said Haru, holding the letter tightly in her hands. "I'm going to give him all my feelings in this paper, like you would normally do. And I'll get normally rejected by him and cry a little and then feel better and then be genuinely happy when he and my Sis finally get through to each other and..."

Haru stopped and shook her head. No, no. She was starting to feel sad already. The same overwhelming feelings that she had felt when she had tried to give up on him, the feelings that flowed out through her eyes in reluctant tears. Not this time. This time was different. This time, she was going to be true to herself. She was going to face him not as Onodera Kosaki's little sister, but Onodera Haru, the girl that had fallen in love with him.

She took a deep breath. When she tried to smile, it came naturally, as if it had just been released from a leash. Yeah. She was probably going to get rejected. But it was ok. Because they deserved each other. Because, in the end, she knew that they'd all still have happy times together.

"Haru..."

"It's ok, Fuu-chan. I'm fine now," said Haru, turning her blinding smile towards her friend.

"You're crying on the letter."

"GY-FUN!?"

Haru's face turned even more red as the class once again looked at her, this time because of the strangely cute noise that had just come from her mouth. Fuu-chan's happily blank face suddenly looked a little happier for some reason. Haru looked down at the letter and saw that it was completely dry.

"Fuu-chan..." said Haru, her eyes watering with angry tears.

"Ehe~" said Fuu-chan, poking out her tongue.


	3. Part Three - At School 2

**The Plan**

_Part Three  
><em>

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><p>Back upstairs, Yui had started her lecture for the morning class. Raku was jotting down notes out of habit, his eyes wandering back and forth from Kosaki and Chitoge. The two girls had started to act more like their usual selves but Kosaki was being unusually jumpy today while Chitoge was being unusually silent. Although it might seem arrogant to think so, Raku was sure that the problem had something to do with him. If they were just normally irritated or, god forbid, it was that time of the month, then he wouldn't be singled out like this with their new reactions.<p>

Just before class had started, both Miyamoto Ruri and Maiko Shu had come by to chat. Kosaki had talked normally to Ruri although, for some reason, their conversation had descended into hushed whispers. Maiko had small talk with Chitoge, who had been a little more reluctant than usual, but still willing to whack him when he started flirting with Chitoge's friends. As modestly as Raku wanted to live his life, he couldn't deny the fact that all evidence pointed to him being the source of Kosaki and Chitoge's strange behaviors.

Raku tried to ignore them at first. If they didn't want to talk to him about it, then it was probably something obvious that he was missing or it wasn't something he could fix. So Raku just spent the class time trying to figure out what he had done wrong. For Chitoge, there was probably a list long enough to wrap around the world. But as far as he knew, his relationship with Onodera Kosaki wasn't very rocky. They were good friends (something he cried inside about), having even talked about some cat videos the previous weekend. She hadn't been in a bad mood then and he hadn't seen her until this morning, so he couldn't figure out why Kosaki would be acting this wa-

_Oh._

_Wait._

The thought that blew into Raku's mind was like a boulder threatening to crush him into jelly. How could he have been so stupid? No wonder Kosaki didn't want to talk to him about it! It was so obvious, so blatantly in his face that he might as well have been blind.

Kosaki didn't like cat videos.

Raku slammed his face into his desk at the stupidity of the thought. But it made sense! After all, she hadn't been in a bad mood earlier this weekend. And the only thing he had done with her before today was send a really cute cat video. As strange as it might seem since all animals usually loved Kosaki, the fact was that he didn't know whether or not Kosaki liked watching and talking about cats doing cute things. What if she really hated cats? Or what if she really hated cats doing cute things!? God, they had talked for almost three hours that one day.

_Idiot, idiot, idiot! If she had been pretending, if she had been pretending to like it for **three hours**..._

Ludicrous. But plausible. Onodera Kosaki was just that nice of a person. But even someone as nice as her probably wouldn't feel good after wasting three hours of her day talking about something she didn't like.

_What have I done? I'm such an idiot..._thought Raku, face plastered onto the surface of his desk. He had to apologize to her as soon as possible. He wanted to believe that she would forgive him but three hours was a long time. No, that didn't matter. If he had to get on his knees and beg like a dog, if he had to restart their relationship from square one, it didn't matter. If he could just keep talking to her, if they could just get back on good terms...

Raku clenched his fist and made his determination solid. No matter what, he loved Onodera Kosaki. And as a man, this was one grievance that he needed to make up for or else he'd never be able to forgive himself.

_Jeez! How am I supposed to give him this pendant!?_ thought Chitoge, scratching her head furiously.

_How am I supposed to confess to him now...?_ thought Kosaki, crying on her desk. She hadn't meant to sound so abrupt with Raku, but her nerves had gotten the best of her. And now he was looking really uncomfortable.

But it didn't matter what Kosaki was feeling right now. Because like it or not, Miyamoto Ruri was staring daggers into her back. After their discussion last night, Kosaki had ended up promising that she would confess today. If she turned back on her promise, after all these years of failing to confess to him, Ruri would really be pissed off. There was an awful, dark feeling spreading across her back; although Kosaki wasn't sure, this was probably what they called killing intent.

_Ok...calm down, Kosaki. You can do this. You made a promise to yourself. You said you'd do it today._

Kosaki took a deep breath and tried to relax. She was acting really awkwardly with Raku. If she could just get back to normal, the way they always talked, then she would feel a lot more confident about her decision.

_Ok...calm down, Chitoge. You can do this. You made a promise to yourself. You said you'd do it today._

Chitoge dropped her hands from her head and decided that she'd just forget about the pendant. Confessing was more important. She could give the pendant back anytime. In fact, if for some reason this beansprout rejected her, then she'd feel a lot better after kicking this stupid pendant out into the ocean. No, no, that was bad. She had to restrain herself.

Raku had frozen up like a sheep being hunted by wolves. For some reason, both girls had become really quiet. There was this sense of unease billowing off them, sending shivers down Raku's spine.

_W-What? What's going on? What happened?_

_I'm going to confess. I need to ask him for some time later today..._

_Screw the pendant! Just forget it! Right now, you have to figure out a way to get some time alone with this guy..._

"I-Ichijou-kun!"

"Raku!"

Three people turned into statues at that moment. It was like they had been struck by lightning. Raku had heard both of them call his name and wasn't sure which to respond to.

"S-Sorry. You can go ahead, Chitoge-chan," said Kosaki, her face glowing like a Christmas light.

"N-No, don't worry! It's nothing important. You go ahead, Kosaki-chan," said Chitoge, an equally impressive glow on her face.

_Hm?_ they both thought.

_Why's Chitoge-chan blushing right now?_

_Why's Kosaki-chan so red?_

The two girls stared at each other, their faces flush with embarrassment and the bottled up feelings of a maiden in love. They could see themselves in each other's eyes, glittering blue and soft, velvety brown. To the two girls, this sudden confrontation, the moment when their feelings were just inches away from bursting out of their hearts, it was like looking in a mirror.

"C-Chitoge-chan...?"

"Kosaki-chan...?"

And then, suddenly, as if the piece had been hovering all along above the hole in their brain, it clicked.

"Kosaki-chan...the guy you like..."

"Chitoge-chan...you..."

And Raku sat in the middle of it, not understanding a second of what was going on.

Then, a hole exploded in the wall behind Kanakura Yui.

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><p><em><strong>AN:**_ _PAYDAY! Wait...oops. Wrong window._


	4. Part Four - At School 3

**The Plan**

_Part Four  
><em>

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><p>"W-What the hell!?"<p>

Dust raced into the classroom. Kanakura Yui, as expected of the head of the Chinese mafia group, Char Siu, gave a cry of surprise as the wall blew up behind her. A stream of delicate, but wild laughter, tinged with a slight edge of hysteria, came from the cloud of dust. Something enormous was coming into the room, something mechanical and with whirring gears.

"Hehehe..."

"T-This voice!" said Raku, hand over his eyes to block the dust. "It couldn't be...!?"

"Hehehe...I've arrived, Raku-sama!"

A small yellow crane rolled into the room, its hook swinging dangerously through the dust. In the crane's control seat, there was a girl with two tails of orange hair running down her shoulders, her entire appearance rendering fragile beauty, like a flower that had just bloomed.

"M-MARI!?" said Raku, using her old nickname in his shock.

"Ehehehe~" giggled Tachibana Marika, her eyes spinning feverishly as she drove the crane forward. "Look, Raku-sama! I've finished it! I spent the entire weekend crafting this just for you!"

As the dust began to clear, Raku got a whiff of something strong and oddly citrus-like. He reeled back as he realized what it was.

"Energy drinks!? Just how many energy drinks did you drink, Tachibana!?"

"Please accept this token of my everlasting love, Raku-sama!" said Marika, pulling various levers in the crane. The hook swung forward, bringing the enormous package that it held crashing onto the ground.

"W-Wha-!?"

The entire classroom covered their eyes as light bounced off the object, casting a blinding aura that illuminated the entire room. The object that Tachibana Marika had worked tirelessly on throughout the entire weekend; a product of dozens and dozens of cases of energy drinks, enough to be fatal but had somehow not been in the end-

A giant statue made of solid gold was standing in front of them. Just because it was Tachibana Marika, everyone had expected it to be a statue of Ichijou Raku. And they were right. At least with everything below the neck.

But instead of Raku's trademark cross-shaped clips and Gundam vulcan sideburns, there was a completely different characteristic trait being shown.

An enormous beak and gaping, wide eyes.

The face of Tachibana Marika's parrot, Raku-sama.

"W-WHY IS MY FACE A PARROT!?"

Chitoge was bent over her upturned desk, pounding on its legs as she tried to hold back her laughter. Kosaki could only stare lifelessly at the statue, having unknowingly hoped deep inside for an actual replica rather than this masterpiece.

"Aww. It's cute," said Yui, patting the golden statue. The entire classroom couldn't help but think the same thought: _WHAT!?_

"Ah...I'm sorry, Raku-sama. It might not be perfect...I started to feel a little light-headed," said Marika, swaying in the chair.

"Tachibana, I really appreciate all the work you put into it, so please get out of that crane and go to sleep!" said Raku.

"I'm sorry you had to see me in this state...I was hoping to bring it to you later today at your house. But for some reason, I got this strange feeling that something irreversible would happen if I didn't brin...brin...bring this to you...right...zzz..."

Tachibana's head fell back over her seat as she started snoring.

"What just happened...?" said Raku, feeling extremely let-down for some reason. Meanwhile, Chitoge had fallen off her desk and was now laughing with complete abandon.

"Well...we can't really have class with all this dust everywhere," said Yui, carefully removing Marika from the crane.

_No, no, there are way more outrageous problems here!_ thought everyone.

"Hehe...Marika-chan can be really flamboyant sometimes, huh?" said Kosaki.

"I think flamboyant is understating it, Onodera," said Raku, watching as Yui dragged Marika over to an area without debris.

_Wait a second. Just now...was Onodera talking to me again?_

"Onodera-"

"Ah...Ichijou-kun..." said Kosaki, also seeing that they were back to speaking terms. She looked down at her feet as she tried to stop a smile from forming on her face. "Uhm...Ichijou-kun..."

"O-Onodera. Uh...listen, I'm sorry."

"N-No! You don't have anything to be sorry for," said Kosaki. _Oh no, I really was making him feel uncomfortable!_

"Yes I do...uh...I'm sorry that you were in a bad mood earlier-"

"No, Ichijou-kun, that didn't have anything to do with you-"

"It was probably because I showed you that cat video, right? I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't like watching cats...and I talked to you for three hours about it too-"

"Ichijou-kun, I was just acting a little weird because I was thinking about confessin- I mean, I was worrying about something that's completely unrelated to you-"

As Raku and Kosaki talked over each other, brief snatches of their respective one-sided conversations registered in their minds.

_Eh?_

_Huh?_

"Cats...?"

"Something that's completely unrelated to me...?"

Chitoge stopped laughing as she saw the scene in front of her. Kosaki and Raku were staring into each others' eyes. Seeing their expressions, their lips quivering as if something was pushing forcefully at their teeth to try and get out-

_Could it be...? Maybe Kosaki-chan really is..._

Chitoge swallowed. What had Kosaki been trying to say just a moment ago? Some time alone...? Maybe she wanted to...

No, it was a meaningless phrase. After all, Kosaki was good friends with Raku. It could've meant anything. But the way she had looked...the blush in her face, that aura of unease and hopefulness that Chitoge had only just recently started to recognize...

She felt the pendant cold against her chest.

_Maybe...the guy she's been in love with is-_

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

For the second time that day, the classroom suffered collateral damage. The windows shattered into a million pieces as a group of men wearing black suits suddenly burst into the classroom. They rolled on the floor, over the debris, and came to a stop in front of the classroom. One of the men let down a white bundle that he had been cradling while breaking in.

"Thank you," said the bundle, stretching out to reveal a small girl with a mask on her face. In fact, all of the men in suits also had masks. They were solid white with a big red X on the front.

"Who are you guys!?" yelled one of the students.

"Fufu. I'm glad you asked," said the girl wearing a white lab coat that was far too big for her. "We're an organization that's come to stop a dangerous event from happening here!"

"What!? Dangerous? Are you talking about the crane? Because that's already resolved-"

"NO! That puny thing? It's daily slapstick, that's all!" shouted the girl, pointing condescendingly at the crane. "No...we're here for something far more lethal. An event that has the potential to destroy the entire world!"

"What!?" shouted the students.

"Nuclear warfare!?"

"The release of Half-Life 3!?"

"Another new Sunrise series!?"

"WRONG!" shouted the girl. "Even worse than that! We, a group referred to by others as the 'Shield of False Love,' are here to stop only one thing!"

Her finger whipped forward to point at Ichijou Raku.

"PLOT PROGRESSION!"

"Huh!?"

"Hurry! Separate those females from that beta male before things start falling in his favor!" ordered the girl. The black suits began converging on Raku and Kosaki.

"GWAAH!"

There was a sound like a cannon going off and then one of the black suits went flying through the hole in the wall. Chitoge stood in front of Raku and Kosaki, her fist red from smacking into the black suit's face.

"I don't know what's going on here, but you're scaring my friends," said Chitoge, her eyes flaring up. "If you guys lay even a single finger on Kosaki-chan, I won't let you off easy."

The black suits hesitated as they felt Chitoge's battle rage wash over them. The girl in the white labcoat frowned and jabbed her finger at Chitoge.

"SILENCE, YOU FOREIGNER! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A PART OF THIS COUNTRY! BUTT OUT OF OUR BUSINESS!"

"H-Huh!?" said Chitoge, thrown off for a second.

"Hmph! Just because you have flowing strawberry blonde hair and a super-stylish body, you think you can stop us!?" said the girl, fuming.

"Eh? Her hair's strawberry blonde? I thought it was normal blonde," said one of the students.

"No, no. Look at the tips. They're kind of pink."

"Oh my god, you're right. Kirisaki-san, you're amazing!"

"W-What? Why are you all staring at my hair?" said Chitoge, looking flustered.

"Now! While she's distracted by the plebeians! Get her!" yelled the girl, stomping her feet on the floor.

At that moment, the wooden floors began to creak. Everyone stopped as they heard the sound. It was originating from underneath the enormous golden statue of Raku-sama.

"You can't be seri-"

Raku's sentence was interrupted as the floor finally cracked under the weight of the statue and sent them all falling down.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **PLOTBLOCKED!_


	5. Part Five - Mayhem

**The Plan**

_Part Five  
><em>

* * *

><p>Just moments before-<p>

"Fuu-chan...!" said Haru, her eyes watering with angry tears.

"Ehe~" said Fuu-chan, sticking out her tongue.

_Craaack._

"Eh?"

"Hm?"

Haru and Fuu-chan looked at each other, wondering which one of them had made the noise.

_Crack. Crack. Crack._

This time, the entire classroom did not look at Haru. Instead, they looked up at the section of ceiling that seemed to be bending downwards.

"W-Wha..." started the teacher.

"GET OUT! NOW! DON'T STOP, JUST MOVE! GET OUT OF YOUR SEATS!"

There was a moment's hesitation, but then everyone followed the warning of the silver-haired beauty and ran out of their seats. Haru and Fuu-chan felt their hands pulled and their bodies fly across the room.

Then, the ceiling collapsed.

Dust and wood came crashing into the room. Luckily, only the front section of the room had broken apart and the students there had been the fastest to get to the door. Even so, there were still cries of shock and fear as the tremendous noise rushed into their ears.

As the dust began to clear, the shapes of second-year students from the classroom above could be seen trying to rise from the debris. Although something like the ceiling falling was certainly very serious, the drop was not far enough to cause any major injuries. Insulation material between the floor and ceiling had provided some cushioning and the ceiling had fallen in roughly intact pieces.

As a result, the remaining members of the "Shield of False Love," had no qualms in jumping down from the upper floor. There were more cries of alarm as the room began to fill with black suits.

"Ehem. Well, I wasn't expecting that," said the girl in the white lab coat. "Nevertheless, it seemed to have worked in my favor. Wahaha. Wahaha!"

"Ow..."

Her mouth closed so quickly that she bit her tongue. Crying because of the intense pain, the girl in the white coat looked through one watering eye at the plain, wimpy looking boy that rose from the floor.

Ichijou Raku rubbed the sore spot on his hip that he had landed on when the floor collapsed. But as the pain began to settle and his mind cleared up, he realized that there was something more important that he should be doing.

"Onodera! Chitoge!" shouted Raku, fear rising into his throat.

"We're fine!"

Chitoge shouted back, just a few feet behind him, Kosaki held safely in her arms.

"What about Tachibana and Yu-"

"I got her, Raku-chan," said Yui, her legs splayed out from when she had fallen onto the ground. She gave a relieved smile as she looked down at Marika sleeping against her chest.

It looked like everyone was safe. The knot in Raku's chest loosened instantly and he started to breathe again. But then he remembered that they were still in a dangerous situation.

"Darn it! They're all together still," said the girl, biting her lip. "Whatever. We'll just take care of them now!"

"Beansprout! Take Kosaki-chan and get out of here!"

"Huh!?" said Raku as Chitoge pushed Kosaki towards him. "What are you talking about-"

"Chitoge-chan-!"

"You have to get Kosaki-chan to safety. I'll take care of them while you guys get away," said Chitoge, rolling up her sleeves.

"Oi, Chitoge! Don't be stupid, all of us have to run-"

"Does it look like we can do that, idiot!? Get Kosaki-chan out of here before it's too late!" said Chitoge.

"Don't give me that! I'm not leaving!"

"What? You think these goons can take me?" said Chitoge, her eyes narrowed with irritation.

"That doesn't matter! You're a girl! You think I'm going to leave you here to fight all by yourself!?"

Chitoge felt her face flush at the comment. She turned away, unable to look at Raku's intense eyes.

"Idiot. I'll be fine. Do you want Kosaki-chan to get hurt?"

"No, but-"

"Then go! The longer you two stay here, the more dangerous it'll get!"

Raku was about to shout something back when he felt a tug in his sleeve. He turned to see Yui holding Marika out to him.

"Take Marika-chan too," said Yui, putting her into Raku's arms. "Don't worry. Chitoge-chan won't be alone."

Ie, Yui's short, doll-like bodyguard, appeared at her side. Seeing her, Raku realized an important fact that he had been missing.

"Go, beansprout," said Chitoge, her back turned to him. From the day that they had started this fake relationship, Raku had seen Chitoge's angry face, her laughing face, her crying face, and her happy face. But right now, he saw nothing but a figure standing solidly to protect her friends, like a wall that could not be broken.

"Chitoge. Earlier, you wanted to say something to me, didn't you?"

Chitoge's heart jumped as she heard that. That damn beansprout! Why was he so perceptive only during times like this!?

"That...it was..."

"If you have something to say to me, then I'll be waiting to hear it. So you better get out of this safe!"

Chitoge involuntarily took a breath. Really, that idiot. What was he saying at a time like this? That stupid moron. Chitoge placed a hand over her mouth to hide the smile forming there.

"Hmph. I don't need you to tell me that, idiot. So, hurry up!"

Raku nodded. He adjusted Marika in his arms and then checked to see that Kosaki was ready. Yui stepped up next to Chitoge with Ie at her side.

"I assume you wouldn't want to talk this out instead?" asked Yui hopefully.

"Talk it out? I suppose we can," said the girl in the white coat. "Hi! You're going to surrender? Great. Glad we had this talk."

"Well no...not like that..." said Yui with an exasperated smile. Her expression became serious as the black suits moved to block the door.

_BOOM!_

Yui yelped as the floor shook from Chitoge's stomp. The black suits stopped, distracted, allowing Raku and Kosaki to run past.

"Ah! Wait!"

"Let's go, Onodera!" said Raku. The first-year students moved out of the way as Raku and Kosaki ran into the hall.

"After them!" yelled the girl.

_BOOM!_

Another stomp. Chitoge was now in front of the door. The black suits stepped back cautiously as Chitoge glared at them with blazing eyes.

"I told you before. If you lay one finger on my friends, I won't let you off," said Chitoge, her hair bristling.

"HAAHHH!? IS THAT RIGHT!?" said the girl, smirking. "And you think you can take us all on!?"

"Heh! There's no way I'm going to lose to a washboard brat and her brainless muscleheads," said Chitoge, tightening the red ribbon in her hair.

"W-WASHBOARD!? You...!" said the girl, chewing her thumbnail angrily. "SHIELD OF FALSE LOVE! GET THAT FOREIGNER WITH USELESS MEAT, RIGHT NOW!"

As the black suits charged at Chitoge, someone jumped down in front of her from the upper floor. A person wearing a boy's uniform but possessing a body that was surely female whipped two pistols from the inside of her blazer and pointed them at the black suits.

"Ojou. I apologize for being late."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **What's that in the sky?_


	6. Part Six - A Night with Tsugumi

**The Plan**

_Part Six  
><em>

* * *

><p>Tsugumi Seishirou did not have a good night. It had all started during the weekend when her phone had buzzed on her table.<p>

"Hm? A message from Onodera-sama?"

Tsugumi had opened the message without any precaution. However, that turned out to be her greatest mistake. For the next several hours, Tsugumi had sat at her table, watching videos of cute cats doing cute things.

"Hawawawa..."

Tsugumi trembled with all of the new feelings rising inside her. Raised as a hitman and serving Kirisaki Chitoge as her bodyguard, Tsugumi had lived a life of violence and dark days. But watching these cats sleeping inside a pillow, peeking out and tilting their heads slightly when the camera came close-

It was like a shell had crumbled away. Tsugumi felt like a vulnerable calf that had just been born. Everything she had taken for granted was now in a new light. Wow! This apartment that she was living in was actually much nicer than she expected. Even though she paid 200,000 yen per month for the accommodations, it actually wasn't as much of a rip-off as she had initially thought! It had a bathroom and a kitchen! Seriously, even if the actual square footage was not much larger than a room in Kirisaki Chitoge's mansion, even if the sink kept having a problem with leaks and the damn plumber never left his card so that she could call back and tell him he did everything wrong-

...

What a nice phone! It had text messaging and 2 free GB of data included with the plan! Oh, look at her futon! So flat and soft. And that half-eaten plate of curry! You couldn't get much better than pre-packaged roux cubes!

_What am I doing?_ thought Tsugumi two hours later as she realized that she was dancing around with her pillow. She blushed and dropped the pillow back onto her futon. The glow of carefree happiness from the cat videos had started to wear off. It wasn't that she didn't still enjoy them, but watching anything for over five hours would be enough to desensitize people. She sighed, feeling a little empty inside after having been so full of joy and warmth.

It was the dead of the night; if she didn't go to sleep soon, she wouldn't be able to walk in the morning with Chitoge. Of course, Ichijou Raku walked in the mornings with her as a proper boyfriend should, but she couldn't count on that fool to protect her mistress.

But then again...he had proven to be more reliable lately. Especially during the Seccaccino mission on the cruise ship...

_You don't need a reason to risk your life for a woman, if you're a man._

Even though that day had been an embarrassing hell, where her body was put at stake more times than her life, it had also become a kind of cherished memory for her. Believed to be a boy even by the person that had raised her, Tsugumi hadn't ever felt any need to be more feminine. Although Chitoge and Kosaki had often commented that she was definitely beautiful and possessed a lot of feminine charm, that day in the cruise ship had been the first time that her attractiveness had seemed so blatantly apparent. Compliments had come from all of the passengers, men and women alike, people who were beautiful and rich. Thinking back, the day when she had worn a dress to chase Ichijou Raku all over town had also seemed similar for some reason.

_No...this is just the cat videos talking_, thought Tsugumi, shaking her head. Indeed, the optimistic effects of the cat videos were putting strange thoughts in her head. Who could find someone like her, with her masculine way of talking and lack of feminine grace, attractive? Compared to Chitoge or Kosaki...perhaps even Tachibana Marik-

No, not that woman. Never that woman.

_If you ask me, it's a real waste. You're plenty cute._

Tsugumi smashed her head against the wall. What was she thinking!? How long ago had Ichijou Raku said those words!? And not to mention that he had probably been joking! There was no way she could trust anything he said. After all, even with someone as beautiful as Chitoge beside him, that fool still dared mess around with the likes of Tachibana Marika!

That was right, Ichijou Raku was the worst kind of human being. A wimpy beansprout man that didn't even take his relationship with Kirisaki Chitoge properly.

At least...that was what she had thought. But lately, she had found herself being less irritated with him. In fact, he had even come to her for love advice once.

"...Love, huh?"

Tsugumi flopped down on her futon and sighed. Love. It was still something that she didn't quite understand. But Ichijou Raku had told her that she seemed to have a good hang of it. And the feelings she had felt when under that love drug...

It had felt familiar. And she knew why it felt familiar. Feelings like then always seemed to come up whenever she spent time with Ichijou Raku. A warm feeling, but not like the way the cats had made her feel; something stronger, more intense feelings that sometimes made her chest ache.

The question that she had asked herself countless times-

Did this mean that she was in love with Ichijou Raku?

Tsugumi covered her eyes with her wrists. No, none of that mattered. Ichijou Raku was Chitoge's boyfriend. She had no business feeling anything for him. Even if it was actually love that she was feeling, she couldn't act on it. No matter the scandalous thoughts that filled her mind; plans of a secret affair; acceptance from Chitoge and a happy life altogether; perhaps even becoming Ichijou Raku's mistress...

"GYAAAAHH!"

Tsugumi sat straight up. No, no! NO! She had to get these disgusting thoughts out of her mind! To think that even for a minute, she'd consider betraying Chitoge's trust-

If this truly was what love did to a person, then it wasn't something she, a proud bodyguard of the Beehive family, needed!

Yes. She had to dispel these thoughts. Tsugumi got up and began rummaging around the room. She had left it somewhere...she was sure that she still had it...

"Here we are..."

A photo of Ichijou Raku. She had used this for target practice a while ago. Tsugumi smiled and pasted it on the wall with a bit of tape. Shooting Ichijou Raku's irritating mug would be a good way to vent. Then she could go to bed and wake up in time to escort Chitoge to school.

Not wanting to wake up Paula, who was sleeping nearby, Tsugumi opted to use a toy gun with foam darts instead. Not that it was accurate to what a real gun was like; but Tsugumi still went through the same procedures she did with live weapons. Practice did make perfect after all.

She took a deep breath and let it out. When firing a gun, being able to control your breathing was important. Too erratic and your aim would be off. Just as important was taking the right stance; contrary to popular belief, having the right stance would be enough to even handle the recoil from a shotgun, single-handed. Tsugumi took another breath, trying to match her timing with her exhale.

Finally, her mind cleared of needless thoughts. She was calm and focused. This was the quality of a professional hitman. She took aim with both hands at Ichijou Raku's face.

_Poomf!_

The foam dart hit the target spot-on.

Which had apparently been 5 inches to the right of Ichijou Raku's photo.

"Hmm!?"

Tsugumi couldn't believe it. She had taken a shot like this thousands of times. From this distance, with this much setup time, it was child's play! She could've fired this shot in her sleep, literally!

"Ah..."

Of course. Sleep! Although she might not feel like it, her body was tired. And watching cat videos in the dark for all those hours...her eyes were probably a mess. She plucked the dart off the wall and reloaded her gun. Right, that had to be it. Tsugumi rubbed her eyes and blinked a couple times to make sure her vision was clear. _Ok. Everything's fine now. I won't miss this time!_

Tsugumi missed again.

"H-How can this be...?" said Tsugumi, plucking the dart again. This miss had been even worse, veering ten full inches to the left of Ichijou Raku. Her face screwed up with shame and confusion as she reloaded the gun.

"Once more..."

The dart missed again.

"This time for sure..."

The dart stuck into the ceiling.

"Why!?"

Tsugumi fired the toy gun over and over. And still she missed, missed, missed! Just to test if her aim was off, Tsugumi tried firing at a different target. There! The cup with the heart shape icon that Chitoge had bought for her.

_Poomf!_

This time, the dart hit exactly on target. In fact, the shot was so perfect that the visible outer edges of the heart were perfectly symmetrical to each other. Tsugumi felt her face turning red for some inexplicable reason. She snatched the dart off the cup and fired again at the photo.

Miss. Miss. Miss.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Miss! Miss!

Hit! Hit!

"GAAAHH!" screamed Tsugumi as she missed Ichijou Raku for the 300th time that night. Why? Why could she hit everything but Ichijou Raku's face!? Filled with anger instead of shame now, Tsugumi stomped right up to the photo and jammed the gun on it, point-blank.

_I can't miss. I can't miss this time_, thought Tsugumi, her finger on the trigger. She didn't even bother trying to control her breathing or taking a stance. At this point, all that mattered was that her dart hit Ichijou Raku's photograph. Because if it didn't, if she couldn't hit just this object, then it meant...it meant...

_I'm...with Ichijou Raku..._

Tsugumi squeezed her eyes shut. _Please. Please hit. I have to shoot. I have to shoot and hit-_

But Tsugumi's finger didn't move. Tsugumi opened her eyes in shock. And right in front of her was Ichijou Raku's face.

Her face exploded into a scarlet burn. She backed away, unintelligible squeaks issuing from her mouth. No! No! It couldn't be true!

IT JUST COULDN'T BE TRUE!

"WAAHH! WAAHH!"

"Black Tiger. Are you ok?"

Tsugumi froze like a deer in headlights. Her neck creaked as she slowly turned her head.

Paula was standing behind her.

"P-Paula-"

"What are you doing this late at night?" asked Paula. She rubbed her eyes sleepily with one hand, the other hugging a large pillow to her chest.

"N-Nothing. It's nothing, Paula!"

"Eh? What are you talking abo-" As Paula's sleepy eyes scanned the room, they came to a stop at the photograph of Ichijou Raku on the wall.

"Ah-!" Instantly, a knowing smile grew on Paula's face.

"P-P-Paula," said Tsugumi, already aware of what she was looking at. "Paula, this isn't what you think!"

"Hoho...I see, Black Tiger. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," said Paula, slipping back under her covers. Tsugumi jumped at her, alarm bells ringing in her head.

"PAULA! THIS IS A MISUNDERSTANDING!"

"Black Tiger, if you spend all night doing things like that, you won't grow," said Paula, her eyes scrunching up as her smile widened. Tsugumi wanted to die on the spot.

"Paula...if you forget what you saw tonight, I'll buy you whatever snacks you want tomorrow."

Paula's face lit up immediately, but she coughed and turned her head to hide it.

"Well...if that's what you want, Black Tiger. I suppose I can do that."

_Oh no. What have I done?_ thought Tsugumi as Paula began listing off all the sweets that she had planned to eat this month. Tsugumi collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.

_Ichijou Raku..._

_I hate you._

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_**_ Damn it, Tsugumi. Stop moving around from your place to Chitoge's house!  
><em>


	7. Part Seven - Mayhem 2

**The Plan**

_Part Seven  
><em>

* * *

><p>Onodera Haru did not talk to Paula McCoy often. Although she wanted to be her friend and they had spent a few moments together, they weren't yet at the stage where they could be considered good friends. Still, Onodera Haru really wanted to get along with Paula and made an effort to greet her every morning and make small talk.<p>

Perhaps this was what prompted Paula to make her move. Or perhaps it was just the fact that Onodera Haru and her friend Fuu had been the closest people around. Having happily been going over the list of sweets that Black Tiger now owed her, Paula's reaction had been painfully slow, slow enough that it shamed her occupation as a professional hitman. But even then, she had been able to see the signs of the ceiling collapse and warn everyone in time.

"GET OUT! NOW! DON'T STOP, JUST MOVE! GET OUT OF YOUR SEATS!"

But perhaps we could say that Paula McCoy did have some sort of acknowledgement for Onodera Haru. That is because the split-second from the warning's end and the collapse of the ceiling was not enough time for Paula to assess the situation. Although she usually worked alone, even Paula knew that being a professional hitman also meant that you needed to minimize casualties on your allied side. However, Paula McCoy's instincts had not lead her to those closest to the ceiling's collapse. It had not targeted those who had moved slowly or those that were frail. Instead, she had automatically, reflexively, unconsciously grabbed Onodera Haru and Fuu's hand.

Even though they were not the closest to the collision area. Even though they would've likely just been hit by a few stray pieces of plaster. Even then, Paula McCoy snatched the two girls up and whirled away.

'WAHH!"

Never before had Onodera Haru felt her body move so quickly. In the blink of an eye, she moved from her desk to the front of the classroom. Her hand could barely keep hold on the love letter that she had been inspecting. As she came to a stop, an enormous crashing sound came from the classroom.

"Wha-!?"

The escaped students looked at the scene before them. A giant golden statue was standing in the front of the classroom, looking vaguely familiar except for the odd choice in the head area.

"What's going on?" said Haru, trying to look into the classroom like all of the other students. "Ah..."

And there he was. Ichijou Raku. Haru felt her worry and anxiety dispel in an instant. Of course. If this person was involved then it was likely just another one of those crazy events that happened daily around him.

"Ichijou-senpai is in the middle of something weird again," said Haru with an exasperated expression as black suits began pouring down from the ceiling.

"He gets involved with some incredible stuff, doesn't he, Haru?" said Fuu-chan, trying to peek over the shoulder of a tall student.

"No kidding," said Haru, sighing. "Anyways, thanks a lot Paula-sa-"

Haru felt her heart freeze over. Something was missing from her hands. She looked down and saw that the letter had disappeared.

"Well, I did save your life. Feel free to praise me more," said Paula, feeling extremely proud of herself. "And if you want, you could pay me back with some sweets late-"

Paula blinked. Wait a second...hadn't she been standing here just a second ago? Where was Onodera Haru?

"Oh no!" said Haru, running down the hall. Somehow, the love letter had come free from her grip and floated away. Paula McCoy couldn't help but feel impressed; to think that a normal girl could escape from her sight with such ease.

"Ah...Haru! Where are you going?" said Fuu-chan, realizing that Haru had vanished. She stepped back to look down the hall when, suddenly, something bumped into her and made her trip onto the floor.

"Let's go, Onodera!"

Ichijou Raku ran out of the room while carrying Tachibana Marika, with Onodera Kosaki right behind.

* * *

><p>"Ojou, I apologize for being late."<p>

Tsugumi sighed inwardly with relief that she had made it on time. Paula had kept her up even longer last night with her evergrowing list of sweets. Tsugumi had only woken up because Claude had messaged her to ask if any incidents had occurred while escorting Chitoge this morning.

"Please forgive me for leaving you unattended this morning, Ojou. I have no excuse."

"Tsugumi! I knew you'd make it!" said Chitoge, smiling. As the daughter of the Beehive Gang's leader, Chitoge had been watched and protected by guards since birth. Even though Tsugumi had been late this morning, Chitoge had believed that her best friend would arrive on time to help her.

"What!? The bodyguard!?" said the girl, her mouth wide open in shock. "What happened!? She was supposed to be incapacitated today!"

"I sent the cat video like you said, boss," said one of the black suits, pulling out his phone for confirmation. "I even used spoofing to put Ichijou Raku's name on the message."

"Let me see that," said the girl. She snatched the phone from the black suit and began perusing the message. "...You idiot! This doesn't say Ichijou Raku! This says Onodera Kosaki!"

"Oh."

"You useless moron! She'll only be a worrying wreck if it's from Ichijou Raku!" said the girl, throwing the phone at the black suit's head. Too far away to hear their conversation, Tsugumi and Chitoge watched with puzzled expressions.

"No matter," said the girl, taking a breath to calm herself down. "It's just a minor annoyance. Even with the bodyguard, they can't take all of us on!"

At those words, a white blur crashed into the classroom, showering glass fragments on the black suits. Dusting the glass from his impeccable white suit, the silver-haired man with sharp eyes hidden behind square frames stood in between Chitoge and the black suits.

"C-Claude!?"

"Claude-sama!"

"I have arrived, Ojou," said Claude, adjusting his glasses with a finger. "Please excuse me for the delay."

"WHAT!?" shouted the girl, her face looking like it was about to explode. "WHY IS _HE_ HERE!?"

"I don't know! We sent two hundred of our reserve men to attack him at the convenience store, boss!" said a black suit, looking equally surprised.

"Hmph! As if those small fry could keep me from Ojou," said Claude. He turned and held a plastic bag up to Chitoge. "Incidentally Ojou, today's dinner will be Hamburg steak."

"Yay! I love Hamburg steak."

"I love Hamburg steak too!" said one of the black suits. The girl with the lab coat smacked him in the face.

"THIS DOESN'T CHANGE A THING!" roared the girl, her lip trembling. "Do you understand!? Nothing that you do will change the outcome in any way-"

The girl's jaw dropped as Chitoge, Claude, and Tsugumi instantly knocked out the group of black suits that had been tiptoeing around the walls to ambush them.

"Huh? Did you say something? I couldn't hear."

"Khhh...grrr," growled the girl, her eyes bulging with anger. "FINE! HAVE IT YOUR WAY! I didn't want to resort to this, but you leave me no choice! Black suit #459! Show them what you're made of!"

One of the black suits nodded and stepped forward. With a few quick movements, he quickly unbuttoned his jacket and shirt and cast them aside. Hidden underneath was an impossible body, massive and rippling with hard muscles. Just looking at that chiseled figure was enough to recognize the dozens of years that must've been spent building and polishing that body. The muscled man stepped forward and flexed, deep lines etched into every bulging rock in his skin.

"EWW! So gross!" said Chitoge, her face turning green.

"W-What a disgusting amount of muscle," said Tsugumi, putting a hand over her mouth. "Claude-sama, this man-"

"Hmph. Not bad," said Claude, looking approvingly at the man. "I am impressed. To think that someone of your caliber would appear here."

"Huh!?" said Chitoge, trying to cover her eyes.

"Very well. Allow me to share with you my own resolve!" said Claude. He stepped forward and whipped his own jacket and shirt off in an instance. An equally, if not more rugged body appeared, the muscles pulsing as Claude flexed. Chitoge and Tsugumi couldn't resist slapping their palms onto their faces.

"Hmph. You, small man," said the muscled henchman, flexing harder.

"What was that? Don't get cocky just because I gave you a little credit, you punk. You're still a thousand years too early to try and fight with the Beehive Gang," said Claude, his glasses flashing. The two muscular men stepped up to each other until their faces were just inches away.

"Claude..." said Chitoge, feeling a little nauseous.

"Ojou. Please leave this man to me. He is not worth scuffing your fingernails for," said Claude, a vein pulsing in his brow.

"Big talk. For wimpy nobody," said the muscled henchman, tilting his chin up.

"Alright, forget that guy, Tsugumi. Let's take care of the rest," said Chitoge, turning away from the repellent macho fight.

"Ojou, allow me to take care of the-"

"We're going to do this together, Tsugumi. That's final. Now, where's that annoying brat? I need to punch her face in!"

Chitoge walked around the muscled men and to the front of the classroom.

But there was nobody there.

"Ah..." said both Tsugumi and Chitoge.

"WAHAHAHA! IDIOTS! IDIOTS! YOU THINK I'D JUST STAND THERE WHILE YOU WERE ALL DISTRACTED!?"

The labcoat girl's voice could be heard echoing from the hall.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **Grooovin' magic!  
><em>


	8. Part Eight - Escape!

**The Plan**

_Part Eight  
><em>

* * *

><p>"WAHAHA! There's no way they can catch up to us now! The Shield of False Love has won today! We'll reach that Ichijou brat in no ti-"<p>

The girl in the labcoat tripped over a foot that had been put out in her way. As she rolled onto the ground, she saw Kanakura Yui's smiling face.

"YOU-BOBOOJKDSFKJFALMO-"

Her face skidded into the floor as the black suits behind her also tripped and collapsed onto her.

"Good job seeing through them, Ie," said Yui, patting Ie on the head. A faint blush appeared on the doll-like bodyguard's face.

"Tch! I was wondering where you disappeared off to," said the girl, popping out of the pile of black suits. "But don't think I can't handle you!"

The girl brought a remote with a big red button out from her labcoat.

Ie instantly kicked the remote out of her hands.

"WAH!"

"I've got it!" said Yui, running over to the remote. A black suit jumped up to tackle her.

"Ah. No violence," said Yui, giving the black suit a sweet wink. The black suit came to a stop, blushing and fidgeting like a little girl.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, GRAB THAT REMOTE RIGHT NOW!"

Yui bent down and snatched the remote just before a group of black suits fruitlessly slid past her. She waved the remote at the girl in the labcoat.

"Now, can we talk this through instead of fighting-"

The girl in the labcoat threw her shoe at the remote. It spun out of Yui's hands and landed face down on the ground, depressing the button-

And a giant robot crashed through the wall into the school!

"HAH! That's what you get for being a goodie-two-shoes! FACE MY GREATEST CREATION, THE GIANT ROBOT WITH ONE CLAW AND ONE NORMAL HAND!"

The robot with one claw and one normal hand rolled up to the girl in the labcoat with treads that would've fit on a tank. She hopped on top of it and leered at Yui.

"Wahaha! What will you do now, Don of Char Siu!? Even you can't contend with a giant robot!"

"Mmm...this really is a pickle," said Yui, still smiling. She lifted her hand and waved at something behind the robot. "Chitoge! Tsugumi! You should take the stairs on the other side of the hall!"

"What!?" said the girl, turning around. Chitoge and Tsugumi waved back and began running in the opposite direction. "STOP RIGHT THERE OR I'LL-"

Yui kicked the labcoat girl's shoe in front of the robot. The robot rolled onto it and tripped.

"WAHHH!"

The robot fell forward with a great crash. For the second time that day, the labcoat girl rolled and smacked her face into the ground.

"Grrr...I'll get you for this, Char Siu!" said the labcoat girl, raising her head. But she stopped as cold metal touched her cheek.

"I suggest you stay still, little girl," said Paula, her pistol pointed at the labcoat girl.

"Who are you calling little girl!?" said the labcoat girl, swatting the pistol away.

"Wha-!?"

"GO! After them, you fools!" shouted the labcoat girl. The black suits who had slid past Yui saluted and began running towards the stairs.

"Ah! Ie-"

But as Ie tried to move, the claw from the robot with one claw and one normal hand grabbed onto her leg.

"Each and every one of you, making fun of me!" said the labcoat girl, puffing her cheeks. She was holding another remote that she had pulled out of her labcoat. "Well, let me show you my true power! Then you'll be sorry!"

She pressed the button on the remote. The robot's chest opened up, revealing a red timer that was ticking down.

"What!? That can't be-" said Paula, her eyes widening.

"A bomb!?" said Yui, her face finally turning serious.

"Everyone! Get out of this hallway, right now!" yelled Yui. Having seen the results of the earlier warning, the students had no hesitation this time as they ran back from the scene. The timer on the robot turned to zero.

Ie kicked the claw to release its grip from her leg and then jumped from the claw to shield Yui. Paula dashed back like a laser, her red scarf swirling around her.

Then the robot stood straight, rockets coming out of its legs. It launched straight into the ceiling, blasting up into the upper floors.

"HAHHHH! FELL FOR IT AGAIINNN!" said the labcoat girl's annoying voice. "IIDDIOO-OW! OW! OW!"

Sweatdrops appeared on Paula and Yui as debris from the ceilings whacked the labcoat girl's head. They both sighed in exasperation and then looked at the remaining black suits.

"Uhh..." said the black suits, also surprised at the sudden change in events. "...We gotta go."

The remaining black suits zipped away towards the stairs.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a few floors up the school-<p>

"Ok. I think we'll be safe here, Onodera."

The two of them were hiding in the space below the stairway. They were both dead tired. Although they had been able to hide safely in a room earlier, the black suits had somehow sniffed them out. Then, a giant robot had suddenly blasted through the floor. Luckily, the robot hadn't seemed to notice them, but Raku and Kosaki had ran away just in case. Raku was especially tired, having carried Marika the entire way.

"Are you ok, Onodera?" asked Raku, panting.

"I'm fine," said Kosaki, sitting down to catch her breath.

"Good," said Raku. He put his hand in his pocket and fished around for his cell phone.

"Do you think Chitoge-chan and Kanakura-sensei are ok?" said Kosaki.

"They'll be fine," said Raku confidently. "I'm sure that Tsugumi and Claude were watching after her. They're probably down there protecting her right now. And Yui has Ie looking after her."

"Oh! That's right," said Kosaki, feeling relieved. "I'm so glad. I was really worried when we ran out of there..."

Although Raku didn't say it aloud, he was pretty sure that Chitoge would been fine even if Tsugumi and Claude didn't arrive. That gorilla strength and vitality wasn't something to take lightly. So right now, Chitoge wasn't something he needed to worry about. The big problem was Onodera.

"Ichijou-kun? Who are you calling?" asked Kosaki as Raku dialed a number on his phone.

"Someone who can help," said Raku. After three dial tones, there was a click in the speaker. "Hello? Ryuu?"

"Oh, Bocchan! How are you! Hm? Wait, aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

"That's...right now's not a good time for class. I need your help, Ryuu."

"What can I do for you, Bocchan? Oh...could it be you're looking for some love advice with your girlfriend? Our Bocchan has grown up so quickly, boo hoo hoo!"

"No...that's not it, Ryuu," said Raku, making a strained face. "There's a crisis happening at school right now."

"A crisis? What do you mean, Bocchan?"

"We're being attacked by a bunch of black suits and a little girl in a labcoat."

"Huh? Black suits and a little girl? What are you talking about, Boccha-"

"Ryuu, listen to me. I know it sounds crazy, but right now...I'm in a situation where I can't protect the people important to me by myself. But even then, I need to. I definitely can't fail here!"

Kosaki saw Raku's grip on the phone tighten. His face looked so painful and filled with anxiety. _Ichijou-kun..._

"Bocchan..."

"So please, Ryuu. Lend me your strength. I need you guys, right now."

There was silence on the phone. It lasted so long that Raku had to check to make sure his batteries hadn't run out or his phone had disconnected.

"Ryuu? Are you there, Ryuu?"

"...Bocchan. Don't worry. We'll be there."

"Ryuu!" said Raku, his eyes brimming with gratitude.

"GET THAT TANK WE STOLE FROM THE BEEHIVES READY, YOU GUYS!" There was a loud roar from the phone and the sound of dozens of men marching around.

"R-Ryuu!? What do you mean tank-"

"Don't worry, Bocchan! You've put your trust in us! We won't fail you!"

"W-Wait! Ryuu! Ryuu?"

The call ended. Raku and Kosaki stared at the phone.

"Uh...Ichijou-kun..." said Kosaki, the fact that she had just heard a yakuza organization mobilizing a tank still processing in her mind.

"M-Maybe we should get to higher ground, Onodera," said Raku, forcing a smile on his face.

"Ah."

"Hm?"

"Eh?"

Raku and Kosaki turned towards the sound they had just heard. A black suit was staring at them from the hallway.

"..."

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" said the black suit, jumping towards them. Raku jumped in front of Kosaki as she cried out, his arm stretched out to protect her from the black suit's assault-

_WHAM!_

Miyamoto Ruri dove into the air, landing a leaping sidekick on the black suit. The black suit went flying away, tumbling a couple times on the ground, completely knocked out.

"R-Ruri-chan!"

"Miyamoto!"

"Kosaki. Ichijou-kun. We need to hurry and get away from here," said Ruri, grabbing Kosaki's hand and pulling her. "That ridiculous giant robot is on the floor above."

"W-What!? No way..." said Raku, fear gripping him. There were black suits coming up the stairs and the robot was above them. There was nowhere to escape.

"Hurry. Get into this room," said Ruri, barging into one of the classrooms.

"What are you doing, Miyamoto? If we go in there, we'll just be cornere-"

"Don't worry, Raku~ I know a way out of here."

Raku stopped as he heard that voice. A voice that he never thought he'd be so glad to hear.

"Shu!"

Maiko Shu waved at him from inside the classroom.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **Brofist!_


	9. Part Nine - Ruri's Day Off

**The Plan**

_Part Nine  
><em>

* * *

><p>In general, Miyamoto Ruri was expressionless. It was not that she did not have emotions; Ruri felt happiness, sadness, irritation, and sometimes even an almost god-like disdain for certain individuals. It was simply that she did not find many reasons to linger on them. If there was no reason for her to be happy, then there was no need for her to seem happy. If there was no reason for her to be depressed, then there was no need for her to seem depressed.<p>

Perhaps Miyamoto Ruri, while certainly having emotions, did not understand them very well. She could not understand what made her best friend, Onodera Kosaki, hold such affection for Ichijou Raku. She also could not understand why they could not see what she saw, an aura of mutual feelings that poked clumsily at one another and missed every single time.

It was all supposed to be love. She knew that. She knew what it looked like. Tachibana Marika professed it every single moment she saw that beansprout boy. And even though she may not have completely connected the dots, Miyamoto Ruri had noticed the softening stance of Tsugumi Seishirou and the fake relationship that did not seem so fake anymore with Kirisaki Chitoge.

She knew what love was. But she could not understand it. She could not understand why these people were so roundabout, why they couldn't muster a single instant of courage to grab what they desired most in the world. What was stopping them? Nothing. What was blinding them? Nothing.

But they all did it. These feelings were running rampant in the air, but they could not seem to meet. It was as if they were separated not by location, but dimensions.

As a result, Miyamoto Ruri did not understand why she felt a pang in her chest, for just a split second. An ache that both hurt and felt good. It was a feeling that she was so unfamiliar with that it was overwhelmed. It vanished underneath the more familiar feelings that arose whenever this person showed up.

"Ruri-chan~!"

A look of intense disgust. Miyamoto Ruri could have wilted flowers with that sort of expression. It appeared automatically on her face, so quickly that it was as if her facial muscles had been born to flex this way.

Maiko Shu.

A person that could easily be called scum of the Earth. A fanciful pervert with too much freedom in his free-spiritedness. He was someone that irritated Ruri simply by being in her presence. Lately, that irritation seemed to have doubled in intensity.

So Ruri did not even answer back. She completely ignored Maiko Shu and continued making her way through the shopping district. It was a rare day off and she had decided to look at some new frames for her glasses, which were starting to have loose hinges. Although Kosaki had offered to come with her, Ruri knew that she wouldn't be able to. After all, she had made a call just the night before to Ichijou Raku and told him that Kosaki needed his help again at the store. Yes, perhaps this was a little sly, but if Kosaki had free time then why not use that in a productive way?

"Ara~ Ruri-chan! Perhaps you didn't hear me? It's me, your friend who is bonded to you through the power of glasses, Maiko Shu!"

A vein throbbed in Ruri's temple.

_Ignore him. If you answer, you'll only get caught up in his pace,_ thought Ruri, trying to calm down. She increased the pace of her walking and tried to put distance between her and Shu. The aching in her heart was more apparent now. Or rather, it was no longer an ache, but a very strange feeling.

Guilt? No, not that. Shame? No, what would she be ashamed of right now? No, it was a feeling that she rarely felt. But its potency could not be misidentified.

Embarrassment?

She was feeling embarrassed? Why?

No, no. That wasn't the problem here. The problem was why she even considered that to be a valid question. Of course she would feel embarrassed. This damn pervert was following her and yelling her name all through the shopping district. It was only natural that she'd feel this way. That was it. Nothing more.

However, a small portion of Ruri was frustrated. That answer felt crooked, as if it was only partially correct. But Ruri waved away the thoughts. It didn't matter. Today was a rare day off. She wouldn't let someone like Maiko Shu spoil it.

"Ara? Where did she go? Ruri-chan~!"

Maiko Shu dove back into the crowd to try and find the missing Ruri. Ruri sighed in relief and crept out of her hiding place behind a nearby bush. Stooping to this kind of thing...even if that person was one of the most detestable creatures on the face of the planet, it still felt like an overreaction.

Ruri shook her head. No, this was fine. An overreaction was fine. Giving Maiko Shu a single step in would just cause a chain reaction. He could cling harder than a baby missing its mother. She had made the right choice.

Finally feeling a bit calmer, Ruri made her way to the glasses store. Looking around and seeing no Shu within the vicinity, Ruri picked a safe corner to browse and began examining frames. Due to her terrible eyesight, Ruri wasn't going to take off her glasses until the last possible second. She looked at some red frames and bent the handles back to test its flexibility. Not bad, but perhaps a different color...

"Here you go."

"Ah. Thank you, Maiko-kun." Ruri examined the frames. A nice sky blue. It wasn't what she usually wore, but it didn't look too bad...

Ruri swung her fist so hard that a rain of glasses frames blew off their displays. Shu stood in a pose that would've made a yoga master proud, the smoking fist having just missed his abdomen.

"Hehe...Ruri-chan, don't you think that was a little extreme?"

"W-What?" said Ruri, her face reddening. Extreme? That had been extreme? Well...looking at the mess she had made, perhaps it had been. But why? Certainly, Ruri took shots at Maiko Shu all the time, but they were usually restrained. Usually. This time, she hadn't even thought about controlling her strength. "I..."

All of the people in the store were looking at her. Ruri's blush deepened and she walked over to the shop owner to apologize.

"You're so energetic in public, Ruri-chan," said Shu, grinning cheerfully as always. Ruri clicked her teeth. Of all days for her to meet this guy...

"Maiko-kun. I will say this straight to you so that we can get this over with. You are being a pest. I do not want to associate with you today," said Ruri, staring daggers at the cat-faced boy.

"Ah~isn't it fine, Ruri-chan? We share a special bond as glasses buddies after all."

"That again...? What exactly are you trying to say, Maiko-kun? We are classmates at best and eternal enemies at worst," said Ruri, her eyes dead and soulless.

"R-Ruri-chan...you're making quite the scary face there..."

"In any case, please stop following me," said Ruri, turning back to the frames.

"Eh~? I'm not following you though..."

"Hah? You were trying to find me earlier, weren't you?"

"Oh! So you did notice me. You're such a meanie, Ruri-chan~"

A rare flustered expression appeared on Ruri's face. No good. She was getting dragged into his pace. At this rate, this pervert would wind up tagging along with her and she'd be forced to deal with him for the rest of the day. Massaging her suddenly tired eyes, Ruri tried to think this situation through. Ignoring him wouldn't work. Maiko Shu could be unexpectedly persistent. She could already imagine him bouncing around her, prodding for attention. He was like an annoying pet that did whatever it wanted.

In that case, she would have to put up with him in this store at least. Then she would move to a different location while ignoring him. It would undoubtedly be embarrassing, but even someone like Maiko Shu would get tired of just chasing after someone for no reason. If it was Ichijou chasing after Kosaki, he would surely become lifeless and depressed. Honestly, how could two supposedly best friends be so different from each other?

_Eh? Wait...Ichijou? Why am I thinking about him right now?_

Again. These thoughts were popping up again. She shook her head and tried to focus on finding good frames. Ichijou chasing after Kosaki...why had she even made that kind of comparison? Yes, certainly, Ichijou would be depressed. But that was only because he liked Kosaki, as much as he tried to hide it. It made sense that you'd get depressed if the one you liked ignored you. She had seen Kosaki run into that misunderstanding plenty of times. But it didn't apply here. After all, Maiko Shu didn't like her. And she certainly did not like him. There would be no reason for Maiko Shu to become depressed, especially considering how freely he seemed to act without caring about others.

_No...that's wrong._

The photograph of her and her grandfather came to mind. And the time that Maiko Shu had stopped her from revealing Kosaki's feelings to Ichijou. He had even been surprisingly considerate with the one girl that had confessed to him. Yes, even though Maiko Shu acted as he did, he certainly still was aware of those around him. It irritated her more than anything else to admit this, but Maiko Shu may be more considerate of others than anyone else she knew.

_Miyamoto, what do you want to do?_

_Just ask for my help if there's anything you want to do, Miyamoto! I'll help you with anything. Whatever you want, just say it._

Even though it wasn't any of his business, even though he didn't know any of the feelings that were going through her, he had still tried to help. He had still extended his hand to her. Ichijou Raku. The boy that Onodera Kosaki loved. A nosy, dense, no-good idiot that made her head ache sometimes.

But even so...

Ruri looked at the frames she had chosen. Silver, like her old ones had been. She put them on and looked in the mirror. Even though the frames were thin and barely noticeable, it changed her face. Even just 10% of her face...it was like a mask that hid her just a little. But for everyone else, she could see them more clearly. She could see things that others missed or refused to see.

She took off the frames and put them down. Perhaps trying something else would be best. Even though she could see more clearly, nothing came out of it. She couldn't do anything about it. If that was the case, then she'd prefer being covered up completely. She would rather not see what needed to be seen, she would rather others not see about her what she could see. Because in the end, just seeing things didn't make a difference.

_Hm? Maiko-kun has been very quiet. Did he leave the store?_ Ruri gave the store a scan.

He was next to her.

"Gh!"

The small yelp escaped Ruri's mouth. Shu glanced at her with a questioning look.

"W-What are you doing, Maiko-kun...?" said Ruri, her heart beating hard. He had been so quiet that she hadn't even noticed him standing there. What was he planning? Something like this...it was irregular.

"Mm? Yes?" said Shu, still looking puzzled.

"I thought I told you not to follow me," said Ruri, averting her gaze.

"I'm not! Didn't I tell you, Ruri-chan? My frames are getting a little loose," said Shu, holding out his glasses. "I came here to buy some new ones. It looked like you were doing the same thing, so I was thinking we could buy them together."

"H-Hah? Why would we buy them together?"

"Well...we're glasses buddies, after all. I'd ask Raku, but it's not really something he knows too much about, you know? Ruri-chan is my best ally in this kind of situation," said Shu, picking out a thick black frame. "Hmm...I wonder if this would look good on me."

"Glasses buddies..." muttered Ruri. That again. At first she had thought he meant some kind of special relationship just because they both wore glasses. But now, it sounded more like people with the same hobby. For some reason, that kind of reasoning really annoyed her.

"What do you think, Ruri-chan? Which frames do you think would suit me?"

"Why do I have to help you choose-"

Ruri's words stopped in her throat. For first time ever, she saw Maiko Shu's face up close. No glasses. Just Maiko Shu. Nothing covering his face. No mask.

He had that same dumb, nosy, clueless and kind expression as Ichijou Raku. A face that she had seen before...one that had been covered by small spectacles rested on his nose...

"Ruri-chan?"

Leaked out in that photograph because a certain voyeuristic creep had taken it in secret. A feeling that made her heart feel heavy and light at the same time.

Ichijou Raku and Maiko Shu were best friends. They were different, the two of them. Even though they were both useless, no-good excuses for men, you could clearly see who Ichijou Raku was and who Maiko Shu was.

But...

Behind that mask...the one that covered 10% of his face...

"Hmph. You're just like them..."

"Huh? What did you say, Ruri-chan?"

Ruri took the silver frames from earlier and put them on. She turned with a whirl of black hair and faced Maiko Shu.

"Well? What do you think?"

Shu just looked at her for a moment, taken by surprise. But then he leaned forward and examined her face carefully.

"Thin and slender. It makes your face look more mature, but with a little mystery behind it. As expected, these are the frames that fit Ruri-chan best," said Shu with a wide grin. Ruri blushed, but did not remove the frames. She held them firmly against her face as she turned around again.

"Well...I guess this is fine for now," said Ruri with a small smile.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **10% luck, 20% skill._

_ Also, excuse me for some changes in the way people are referred to. I was trying to keep an omniscient sort of third-person, but it doesn't seem to work well when I'm constantly putting in thoughts for characters. I'll be trying to adjust this accordingly in future chapters.  
><em>


	10. Part Ten - Escape! 2

**The Plan**

_Part Ten  
><em>

* * *

><p>During the weekend at a nearby WcDonald's-<p>

"Siiiiiiiighhh..."

"Hm? Black Suit #320. What's wrong?"

"Black Suit #211..." said #320, seeing his coworker approaching. "Yo. How did your interview go?"

"No good," said #211 with a heavy sigh. "This economy just isn't good for young people like us."

"No kidding. I can barely even afford Weekly Shonen Not-Jump," said #320, a depressing black cloud hanging over his head as he waved the thick magazine.

"You're doing ok with your meals though?"

"Yeah, I'm getting by..." said #320, pointing at the ketchup packets he had secretly taken from a leftover tray.

"What have you been eating lately? I'm so sick of instant ramen..."

"Riceballs. My mom sends me a 20kg bag every month and I mix it with ketchup!"

"You eat 20kg of rice every month!?"

"Well...no. I've got some in reserve stock in case I have friends over. You want some?"

"You...You'd share your rice with me, #320?" said #211, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Of course, what else can poor low-rank guys like us share?" said #320, crying at the reality of his statement.

"Hey guys. What's going on?" said Black Suit #15, coming over with a tray filled with fries and burgers.

"Go to hell!"

"Die, you high-ranker!"

"W-What? What did I do!?"

"Go away! Your kind isn't wanted here!"

"Yeah! This seat is saved!" said #211, hugging the stool next to him. "Unless you're going to share fries. In which case, take my seat too!"

"No, take my seat!"

"...You guys really have it hard, huh?"

Fifteen minutes later, the tray was wiped clean and the three black suits were sipping water cups (except for #15, who had a cola).

"Y-You're such a good guy, #15!" said #211, sobbing as he licked the salt off his fingers.

"I haven't had french fries in three years," said #320, his head buried in his arms.

"Sheesh. I knew we switched to a hierarchical wage system to avoid taxes, but I didn't know you guys were suffering so much!"

"It's ok. It's our fault for not climbing the ranks," said #211, sighing. "I haven't done much work in the past year..."

"Weren't you the one that heated up Onodera's side of the bath just a couple weeks ago? That was masterful, you awesome bastard!"

"Talk about it cutting it close! When they went in the bath together, I didn't know what we were going to do. You saved our asses, #211," said #320.

"Well...that wasn't much..." said #211, his ears going red. "The last time I did anything worthwhile was when they were at the beach and I yelled 'Kimchi!'"

"THAT WAS YOU!? Oh my god, you're a legend!" said #15, awestruck.

"You know it! This guy's one of the best if he puts his mind to it!" said #320, slapping #211 in the back.

"F-Forget about me," said #211, embarrassed. "What have you been doing, #320?"

"Siiiiiggghhh..."

"Hm? What's wrong, #320?"

"I haven't really been in the mood to work..." said #320, his face down on the table.

"Why not? Did something happen?" asked #15.

"It's kind of stupid..."

"Come on. You can tell us," said #211, elbowing him. "We're all Black Suits after all."

"Yeah. Comrades through and through! Just tell us what's troubling you."

"...Well. It's about Not-Nisekoi..."

"Oh, I love that manga. Don't you think the faces the mangaka draws are really cute?"

"Yeah, yeah! And they fit the story so perfectly," said #15, nodding. "The character relationships are also really cute!"

"That's it! That's the problem," said #320, smacking the table.

"The faces?"

"No! The characters! Do you know how long this series has been going? Since 2011! It's almost the 3-year anniversary too!"

"Oh yeah...it is getting close," said #211.

"Three years but nothing's happened! I mean...this manga had so many developments in the first year but then everything just went flat! And they kept adding more and more characters but nothing ever happened with them. It's just dragging endlessly!"

"Now, now. Don't you think you're overreacting a little, #320?"

"Yeah, it's not like it's been going nowhere. We've had lots of stuff happening. I mean, the not-pendant isn't being held hostage by that tsundere little sister anymore."

"And we found out there's something stuck in there preventing it from being opened."

"But that didn't change anything!" said #320, flipping through his copy of this week's Not-Jump. "Look at this! A big development like that and it just gets swept under the rug! This is just trolling now! I mean, aren't these people in love? They're wasting their youth! You think they'll have time for love when they're older? No, sir! Hit your third year and its just studying for exams then! Then everyone's off to separate colleges or working and there's no time to do anything!"

"Well...I guess you have a point..."

"We haven't hung out like this in a while, huh?" said #15. The air around the three black suits became a little darker and colder.

"I...I just don't think this is right," said #320, tears rolling down his face. "I love this series, really! I love all of the characters and all the stuff they do. I don't want them to end up like us, stealing ketchup packets from a WcDonald's to season rice with later and going to sleep with just a newspaper to keep you warm at night!"

"And single! Single like all of us are! So bitter that our daily job is to wreck the relationships of a bunch of high schoolers!" said #211, tearing up too.

"D-Damn it. You guys are making me feel awful," said #15, trying to hold back his own tears. "D-Damn it all! Screw it! W-Why won't she return my texts!? I thought we had something!? DIDN'T WE HAVE SOMETHING, HANAZAWA KANA!?"

"Not-Nisekoi needs to speed things up! If not for us, then for the sake of the children!"

"Yeah! They need to experience love before they become old and cynical like we are!"

"Uuuu...sniff...KanaHana..."

"Let's send strongly worded letters to Not-Jump to get our feelings across."

"And then attach those to strongly worded emails to double their effectiveness!"

"W-Wait...this isn't KanaHana's mail address...WHO THE HELL IS HIRANO AYA!?"

"Ok, let's go to my house and get started on those letters," said #320, dragging the crying #15 along to put away the trays.

"Do you have enough room at your house, #320?"

"...No. Can we go to your house, #211?"

"Sure, buddy. I'll even cook you some instant ramen. And I'll cook it in a pot this time instead of in the bag since I'm having guests over."

"You're like a saint," said #320 as the three of them exited the WcDonald's. "But seriously, this manga needs to get its act together, I mean it's got a huge following no-"

_HONKKK!_

"What's that?" said #211 as the black suit trio clamped their hands over their ears.

"Hm? Is that a truck? Why's there a truck honking at us?" said #320, peering out at the road. A giant white Isuzu truck was accelerating towards them. "W-Wait...can't it see us crossing the road? Why's it speeding u-UWAAAHH!"

The three black suits dove away as the truck raced past them and crashed into the WcDonald's.

"W-What the hell!?" said #320, scrambling to his feet. "D-Did that truck just try to hit us!?"

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT IT TRIED TO HIT YOU! IF YOU MEAN TRY TO HIT SOME SENSE INTO YOU!"

A fourth black suit kicked the truck's door open and crawled out.

"B-Black Suit #23!?"

"Hey! What the hell are you doing!? You almost killed us!" said #320.

"I should've killed you! What was that!? Not-Nisekoi needs to speed up!? YOU MORONS! IT'S BECAUSE OF MORONS LIKE YOU THAT GOOD SERIES GET AXED!"

"What did you say!?"

"You guys don't understand a thing! Not enough time for love!? They're in love right now! Now's the only time when they'll be able to have such an easygoing, slow progression to a relationship! When you're old and in a retirement home, which lovey-dovey days do you think you're going to look back on? When you were at work for 10 hours and came back to a horny housewife only to decline because you're too exhausted to get an erection!? Or the days when just sitting next to the girl you liked was enough to make you pass out from a heart attack!?"

"...Both of those sound awful."

"Sitting next to the girl gives you a heart attack? Which century were you born in? Or more like, which fanfiction?"

"Y-You guys! You guys, Hirano Aya just messaged me back! Oh my god, I think I'm in love."

Suddenly, four ringtones started to go off. The black suits held their hands up to excuse themselves and take their calls.

"...You bastards. You better not be talking to my lovely Aya," said #15, glaring at them as he answered his phone.

"Hello?" said the black suits.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING!? ICHIJOU RAKU JUST SENT ONODERA KOSAKI A CUTE CAT VIDEO AND NOBODY STOPPED IT!"

The voice blasting from four separate cell phones startled the crowd of people that had come over to check out the burning WcDonald's.

"B-Boss!" said the black suits, hurriedly turning down the volume on their phones.

"Goddamn it, why do I have to handle a bunch of idiots like you!? Do you know what you've done!? HUH!? DO YOU?"

"...Sorry, Boss."

"GET YOUR ASSES BACK HERE, PRONTO! We have to go invade Bonyari High School now because of you morons!"

"Don't you think that's a little overboard, Boss...?"

"Overboard!? Who was that? #320? It's because you underestimate cute cat videos that you're just a #320! And your riceballs suck!"

"Ouch," said #211 sympathetically. #320 wilted and shut his mouth.

"Now hurry up! And bring back french fries from WcDonald's!"

"...Yes, Boss."

The four black suits sighed and put away their phones. They looked over at the burning WcDonald's.

"...Crap," said #23. "I didn't have insurance on that truck."

As the black suits left to find another WcDonald's, a certain cat-faced individual slunk back into the crowd, the lens of his camera glinting...

* * *

><p>"You knew about this all along!?" said Raku.<p>

"Fufu, don't underestimate my information network, Raku," said Shu, beaming proudly.

"Why didn't you tell us!?"

"Come on, Raku. Would you believe the words of a couple of random people on the street? Plus, it wasn't like I heard the whole thing. I only had scraps of conversation to work off of," said Shu, trying to look downcast.

_He definitely thought it'd be more fun this way,_ thought Raku.

_This idiot definitely thought it'd be more fun this way,_ thought Ruri.

_It was definitely more fun this way,_ thought Shu.

"Ok, so now what? Didn't you say you know a way to get away from these black suits, Shu?" asked Raku, deciding that Onodera's safety was more important right now.

"Yep! That's exactly it, Raku! You see, even if it were the words of random people on the street, saying that you're going to invade Bonyari High School sounds like a threat. So of course, I needed to take some countermeasures."

"Countermeasures? What do you mean?"

"Ufufu. Tell me, Raku. If you were to escape from this situation right now, where would the safest place be to hide?"

"The safest? Maybe the principal's office...?"

"Don't bother. There are black suits swarming there, just waiting for you," said Shu.

"Uhm...perhaps the cafeteria?" suggested Kosaki.

"Nope! But good thinking, Onodera-san!"

"The roof," said Raku, a lightbulb winking on over his head. "It's locked so no one would expect students to get up there."

"Close, Raku! But the roof is like the backyard of a harem lead."

"Huh!? Harem lead?"

"Why do you think she's been blasting through the floor with a giant robot, Raku? She knows you'll head to the roof eventually so she's trying to corner you up there. Once you get to the roof, there's nowhere to escape."

"I-I see. That makes sense," said Raku, deep in thought. "The classrooms are out, they're too easy to get into...maybe we could go back to Chitoge and Tsugumi...no, but we'd just get in their way...uhm..."

_Ichijou-kun is really thinking hard about this_, thought Kosaki, a little happy at seeing this new side of her crush.

"Ichijou-kun, if you take any longer, the black suits will find us," said Ruri.

"Ah, that's right! Shu, just get to the point!"

"Ah~ fun time's over," said Shu, grinning. "Ok. If you think about it logically, there's only one place that we can hide in complete safety."

"And that's...?" said Raku, unconsciously feeling a little expectant at the answer.

"That is...the roof!"

_Huh?_ thought everyone.

"Shu, didn't you just say the roof is no good?" said Raku, wondering if his best friend was still trying to mess around.

"Fufu, Raku. You were very close. The truth is that the roof is most definitely the worst place you could go to. There's nowhere to hide up there and once you get up there, there's no way to escape."

"So then...why...?"

"And that's exactly the beauty of it! Whoever looks up in the roof won't look very closely. The very fact that it's the worst hiding place means it's also the best!"

"But you just said there's no hiding place up there-"

"Now that's where you're wrong. Like I said before, Raku, I did make countermeasures for this," said Shu, climbing up onto one of the desks. He pulled away a square of the ceiling, revealing a large hole with a ladder inside.

"W-Whaaattt!? What is that!?" said Raku.

"It's an escape route! Me and my crew spent all weekend making it," said Shu victoriously. "Ah, don't worry, I gave an excuse to Yui-sensei for approval."

_Nee-chan, be more careful about what you approve in the school!_

"This will lead right up to a small hidden space _underneath_ the roof. You can get into there from a loose tile, but it's safer going up this way," continued Shu.

"This is..." said Raku, feeling conflicted as he looked up at the escape route. "...It's amazing, in a way."

"We can just hide out here while we wait for everything to wrap up," said Shu, jumping down from the desk. "You called your family to come help out, right Raku?"

"Why are you only helpful during situations like these?" said Raku, grinning.

"Go on up first, Raku. I'll close up when all of us are up there."

"Alright. Let's go, Onodera," said Raku. Kosaki nodded and climbed onto the desk with him.

"And don't look, you pervert," said Ruri, forcing Shu's head away.

"Arara, don't you trust me, Ruri-chan? I thought we got closer last week when we went shopping toge-ow ow ow ow!"

_Good job, Miyamoto!_ thought Raku as he began climbing. Of course, he had to go first so that he wouldn't be looking up Onodera's skirt. He grabbed onto a rung and pulled himself up into the tunnel. There was enough light creeping in from cracks between the floors to see where he was going.

"Can you get up ok, Onodera?" said Raku, looking down.

"Yes," said Kosaki, lifting herself up into the tunnel. Ruri increased the strength of her grip on Shu's head, just in case.

"Shu, we're almost there. You should come up now," said Raku as he felt a slight rush of air. The tunnel was leading into a larger, more open area.

"Don't worry Raku. You see, those guys aren't after us. We'll be fine."

"Huh!?"

"Kosaki. Good luck."

"R-Ruri-chan!?"

And then, the light underneath them vanished as the ceiling tile was put back into place.

"Excuse me, Mr. Black Suits! I heard that Ichijou Raku was going to come here. You should stake this place out for the next hour or so."

"Oh, thank you. You know, it's nice to see upstanding students like you are still around. We need more of your kind in today's society."

_SHUUUUU!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**_Hello everyone, this is HitsintheEye. I think. There's 3 e's, right? In any case, we've hit chapter 10 so thank you to all who have read up to this point! And a double thank you to those that took the time to review, favorite, and/or watch the story! We're keeping at a good pace, so let's keep chugging along! _

_Also, the end of the new Nisekoi...I blacked out from the HNNGGGG._**_  
><em>**


	11. Part Eleven - The Haru Paradox

**The Plan**

_Part Eleven_

* * *

><p>"Alright. Done with my bath."<p>

Onodera Haru walked into her room as she toweled off her steaming hair. She hopped onto her bed and grabbed her phone to check her messages. She sent a "Good night" message to Fuu-chan and then put her phone on silence. She walked back up to her door and looked down the hall. Her sister's door was closed but she could hear her chatting with someone. Probably Ruri-san. She looked down the stairs and made sure that her mom was busy watching primetime television.

Her dad was out on a business trip this weekend. Her computer was turned off. Her window was closed. Now her door was closed. She cleared all her homework and books from her desk and carefully put them into her bag. A clean sheet of notebook paper on the spotless desk and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. She placed them all in symmetry and then angled her seat so that the paper would be covered by her body from the door.

Taking a deep breath, Haru picked up her pencil and wrote her first words on paper.

_Dear Ichijou-senpai-_

Haru stared at the paper. Her handwriting had become all cute and round. Not to mention that kind of beginning to a letter...it was so cliche and normal, she wanted to die. She crumpled the paper and threw it into her wastebasket.

_Dear Ichijou-senpai-_

Her forehead slammed into the desk.

Tonight, Onodera Haru was writing a love letter to Ichijou Raku.

"I can't do it, Fuu-chan!" said Haru into the phone five minutes later.

"Haru, you need confidence for these sort of things!"

"It's sick. I want to puke just reading this..."

"It can't be that bad. Come on, read to me what you have so far."

"No way!"

"Come on, Haru! You're not going to make any progress if you keep acting like this."

"...I never wanted to make progress in the first place," said Haru, coughing loudly to cover the tremor in her voice.

"...Ehh~ Is that right? So you mean to tell me that you didn't feel depressed today at all?"

"Well..."

"And that you didn't whine and complain about Ichijou-senpai being a dense idiot for five hours today for any good reason? It was just a whim on your part to waste my free time during the weekend?"

"N-No...Fuu-chan..."

"And you don't have any feelings for Ichijou-senpai at all? So you're perfectly fine with him going out with whoever and it's none of your concern who he associates with or what he does with other girls?"

"T-That's completely different! Ichijou-senpai clearly likes my sister, so there's no way I'm going to stand for any womanizing-"

"So if Ichijou-senpai and your sister like each other, then there's no reason for you not to tell them. Since you don't have any feelings for Ichijou-senpai, right Haru? You don't feel anything when you're with him, right~? You're perfectly capable of telling your sister right now and watching with a happy face if she and Ichijou-senpai get together and be all lovey-dovey from now on."

"T-That's...not what I meant..."

Haru covered her face with her arm. Even though Fuu-chan was just on the phone, she couldn't bear to show her face. This shameless face that she had been having more and more often, a face that she had seen frequently on her sister. Bright red, looking as if it was bursting with steam, this sort of shy, clumsy expression that only a lovesick heroine would have...

Haru groaned into her arm. It was almost too much to bear. Her heart was aching at the thought of it, sending shivering pulses through her body. It was as if she was sitting naked at the desk, her body open to anyone's prying eye. She felt vulnerable, completely unguarded; she wanted to roll into a ball and just disappear from the world.

Ichijou Raku. Her upperclassman that was in love with her sister. The Prince that had saved her countless times, the boy that she had found herself falling for even though there were hundreds of reasons for why she shouldn't.

A hopeless love. A failed love. An unrequited love that never bloomed. Never had a chance to bloom. It hurt enough for her to cry. It tickled her enough to laugh and smile. To stroke her softly, slap her violently, kiss her warmly on the cheek.

Haru let out an enormous sigh. She rested her cheek on the desk with the phone next to her ear.

"Dear Ichijou-senpai..."

A snort came from the speaker in her ear.

"Fuu-chan!"

"S-Sorry. Sorry..." The speaker crackled as Fuu-chan tried to hold back her laughter.

"D-Dear Ichijou-senpai," continued Haru, her cheeks blazing. "I-It seems that over the past few months, I've a...acquired some feelings for you. Maybe you could call it something like 'love.' I-I mean, what is 'love' anyways? The dictionary says that 'love' can be written with the kanji for 'ai.' But there's also 'koi' and 'ren'ai.' In the first place, 'love' wasn't a word that existed in the Japanese language, so how can we know that this is truly 'love?' In any case, t-there seems to be some sort of attraction towards you, so I suppose we can call it 'love' for now. Uhm...please go out with me."

For several minutes, only the sound of air rushing through the phone speakers could be heard.

"...Fuu-chan?"

"Haru...That's not a love letter."

"...I know."

And so another ball of paper was thrown into the wastebasket.

"Haru, are you sure that you want to confess to Ichijou-senpai? It doesn't sound like you really want to write this letter."

"O-Of course I don't want to confess to him! I can't believe someone like him was my first love..." said Haru, her face pressed into her desk. "It had to be the guy that Onee-chan liked too..."

"Then why are you trying to write a love letter in the first place?"

Haru kept her face down on the desk. It wasn't like she wanted to confess. There was no need for Ichijou-senpai to know about her feelings. In the first place, this would probably make things awkward between them and make it harder for him to confess to her sister. But Haru didn't know what else to do. Once she had found out about the mutual attraction between Raku and Kosaki, Haru had decided to support her sister and get them together. She would give up her feelings for the sake of her sister's happiness.

Only, giving up her feelings wasn't working out well. In fact, it seemed like she was just falling more and more in love with Raku.

That was why Haru decided to end this once and for all. She would confess to Raku and get rejected so that she could move on with a clear heart. Broken, perhaps, but it would mean that she would have no more lingering feelings. Everything would be put to rest and she could end this charade.

But what if Raku accepted her? What if he somehow returned her feelings? There was no chance. Haru knew for a fact that Raku was in love with her sister. Even if he did return her feelings, there was no way she would be able to be in a relationship with him. The fake relationship with Chitoge was one thing, but going behind her sister's back and stealing the boy she had loved since middle school? Haru would rather kill herself than do something so heinous.

"Yeah...I definitely won't put Onee-chan through that kind of horrible ordeal..." mumbled Haru into the desk.

"Huh? Did you say something, Haru?"

"Nothing. Anyways, Fuu-chan. I'm going to write this letter tonight no matter what. Help me, ok?"

"...Well, if you're that set on it. Maybe we should look up some examples..."

And so for the rest of the night, the two first-year girls had gone through hundreds of pages of shoujo manga and looked over the confessions of at least twenty heroines. And their hard work paid off with a love letter of impossible force and elegance. It was as if Haru's own heart had been sealed within this letter.

Naturally, Haru couldn't bear to read it once it was finished. Fuu-chan had to hang up for an hour to regain control of herself.

When the letter was finally finished, the dawn of a new morning had arrived on the lovestruck little sister.

* * *

><p>"This letter was supposed to be for Ichijou-senpai..."<p>

That was the plan. However, the incident in the classroom had changed all that. Perhaps it was because the strangeness of the situation had caused Haru to loosen her grip. Perhaps it was the wind blowing in from the broken windows in the floor above. Whatever the reason, the love letter that Haru had poured so much effort into had escaped from her grasp. It had flown down the hall, like a soaring hawk, threatening to bare Haru's heart to anyone who picked it up.

"So why...?"

She had scrambled after the letter with her heart pounding. Luckily, whatever was propelling the letter away didn't carry it far. It had landed gently on the ground at the next corner. Haru had picked it up without any incident and let out a sigh of relief that made her fall onto her knees.

And then she had been surrounded by men in black suits.

"SO WHY ARE YOU GUYS TRYING TO STEAL IT FROM ME?!" cried Haru as she ran through the school.

"DON'T LET HER GET AWAY! THAT GIRL POSSESSES A PRIORITY TARGET!"

* * *

><p>Earlier in the morning when the black suits had been mobilizing for their invasion-<p>

"Let me reiterate the mission of the 'Shield of False Love' for those that are new to the group. Our organization seeks to prevent world destruction through the plotblocking of the lead protagonist, Ichijou Raku. As we all know, our world hinges solely on the fact that Ichijou Raku is a run-of-the-mill harem lead. He has the perception of a braindead sloth and has no redeeming qualities that any decent human being does not already possess. As such, we are- Yes? You in the back."

"So...this isn't like a fan community? We're not supporting the characters and their relationships?"

"...What number are you?"

"Number 404, ma'am!"

"Well, #404. If you wish to stay within our organization, you must answer this one question honestly and without any pretenses."

"Y-Yes! I am prepared."

"How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?"

"C-Cash? Uh...maybe 4000 yen? I just flew in from America and the exchange rate's been fluctuating a little bit so I'm not exactly sure what the value of the American dollar is right now-"

"Show us your wallet."

Black Suit #404 took out his wallet and opened it to reveal around 45USD sitting inside it. The labcoat girl jumped down from the stage and walked over to verify.

"At current market exchange, I would say this is around 4850 yen."

"Uh...wow. That's more than I expecteeaaAAAHHHHHHH!"

The black suit's shout echoed down the hole that had just opened up beneath him. The trapdoor slammed shut with an ominous creak, causing all of the neighboring black suits to sweat anxiously.

"Ok, french fries on #404. Note that down on the budget sheet."

"Yes, boss."

"Also, kick that idiot out of our organization."

"Yes, boss."

The labcoat girl climbed back onto the stage and cleared her throat.

"As I was saying. We are the only thing that stands between Ichijou Raku's hot and bothered female squeezes and WORLD SALVATION! We cannot, under any circumstance, allow any of these high school BIMBOS to upset the status quo!"

"Isn't that a little harsh...?"

"Shh! The boss doesn't like any of the girls."

"Why not? I mean, some of them are a little violent but they're all bombshell beauties-"

"You know how girls are at her age. Very susceptible to tsundere-reactions towards their role models."

"Ah, I see."

"YOU TWO THERE! If you have time to be blabbering, then maybe you can tell me what our priority targets are for today's mission!"

"Uh...the pendant!"

"...What else?"

"...Uhm." The black suit looked to his neighbors for help. They all shrugged, having been paying as little attention as he had. "...WcDonald french fries?"

"...Well, at least some of you seem to read the agenda," said the labcoat girl. The black suit sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off his brow.

A trapdoor opened underneath him and sent him shouting down a dark hole.

"Does anyone else want to interrupt?"

"No, boss!"

"Now, we have a new key priority target that was just created two hours ago! A love letter from the little sister of Onodera Kosaki. This is a full-blown confession from Onodera Haru to Ichijou Raku!"

"Yay, HaruxRaku!"

"I knew it. I knew this was going to happen. All of you said it was going to be a Chitoge ending. WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW? LOOKS LIKE THE ONESHOT WASN'T BIBLE AFTER ALL."

"Ohmigod, I'm tweeting this right now. /r/Nisekoi is so going to be filled with Haru gifs."

"YOU AREN'T DOING _ANYTHING_ BUT DESTROYING THAT LETTER!" screamed the labcoat girl, silencing all of the black suits. "Now you listen to me, you birdbrains! If that letter or ANY OF THE PRIORITY TARGETS get to Ichijou Raku, WE'RE FINISHED. This world is done! WE'LL BE AXED IN A MATTER OF WEEKS! Now, all of these priority targets are DESTROY ON SIGHT. Are we clear!?"

"Yes, boss..."

"Good. Now, moving onto the next bullet point on our agenda. Ehem. The new Raku x Shu doujinshi will be released next week at Toranoana-"

The black suits all groaned.

'Shut up! All of you shut up! Now, pick two sacrifices among yourselves to go line up for the release next week. Meet me after the meeting and we'll discuss sales rates."

* * *

><p>"And that's why we're chasing after Onodera Haru and stealing her letter," said one of the black suits as they ran after Haru.<p>

"Wow. I totally missed that meeting. Thanks for filling me in."

"No problem. By the way, you have to go to the release next week. You weren't there so..."

"God damn it. You guys are assholes!"

_Why!? What do these people want with my letter!?_

Although Haru was in no way an out-of-shape girl, she was still just your regular first-year high school; unlike Chitoge or Tsugumi, Haru's athleticism was perhaps just slightly above average. Consequently, it was no surprise that the black suits were constantly on her heels and would be within striking range at any second.

Haru gritted her teeth and tried to put all her energy into running. Although she didn't know what these guys were planning on doing with her letter, this was an item that she couldn't risk in anyone's hands but her own! If this letter couldn't reach Ichijou Raku, then at the very least, she would destroy it with her own hands!

"Grab her!" yelled a black suit as they closed in on Haru.

"H-How do you grab a girl?" asked the closest black suit.

"What do you mean how do you grab a girl? Just...Just put your arms around her!"

"But that seems like sexual harassment."

"Who cares!? The priority target is the priority!"

"B-But...I'm a Haru fan..."

"God damn it! HEY! Anyone here not a Haru fan?"

None of the black suits raised their arms.

"What!? Are you freaking kidding me!? Why the hell is everyone here a Haru fan!?"

"Well...all the Chitoge fans and Tsugumi fans stayed behind. And the older Onodera fans are chasing after Ichijou Raku."

"Oh god. This is what the boss was worried about. THIS is the reason why you're all supposed to attend those orientation training sessions!"

_What...What the heck are they talking about?_ thought Haru as she continued to run. The black suits seemed to be arguing about something as they came closer. In fact, it was incredibly creepy how they were all surrounding her with their hands stretched out, but not actually touching her in any way.

Haru felt her burst of adrenaline starting to fade. Her legs were growing heavy and her face was dripping with sweat. She must've ran across the entire length of the school by now. But she hadn't put any distance between her and the black suits. In fact, they were closer to her than ever before.

"So, I just reach over and grab her, right?"

"Just put your arms around her waist and pull back."

"Does it matter how high I grab her around the waist?"

"Well, you can't do it too high or you're going to mash her breasts."

"And that's bad, right?"

"Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. On one hand, you're molesting this girl deliberately by copping a feel. On the other hand, you could say that it was inevitable since you're capturing her anyways. You could really spin it either way."

"Hmm. This is a hard decision."

Her feet throbbed with each impact they made against the ground. The letter was crumpled in her tight grip and flapping all over her hands. She couldn't keep this up. Any second now, Onodera Haru would run out of steam. Any second now, these weird creeps would snatch the letter from her hands and do whatever the hell they wanted to it. Haru felt a wave of fear that made her eyes water.

_Someone...please. Someone help me. Please..._

Her vision became blurry as tears began streaming down her face. Her feet tripped over one another and she fell hard onto the ground.

_Help..._

_Ichijou-senpai!_

"GWAAHHH!"

Haru heard the symphony of loud cries as the black suits were blasted away by a flickering blur. Coming to a stop in front of Haru, the silver-haired beauty swept aside her laser-red scarf.

"Paula-san!"

"Ho? What a coincidence meeting you here, Onodera Haru," said Paula. "I just happened to be passing by."

"Paula-san...you came to rescue me," said Haru, sniffing and wiping her wet face.

"I-I did no such thing! Like I said, I was just passing by, that's all! I-It's not like I was concerned about you or anything," said Paula, trying hard not to show the happiness on her face. "W-Well, if you're that grateful, I guess we can talk about some kind of reward-"

"Who is that? What just hit us?" said the lead black suit as he struggled onto his feet.

"That's...That's the 'White Fang!' Paula McCoy!"

"What!? I thought she and Onodera Haru were just on classmate terms!"

"Apparently not. How fearful."

"Fufu, that's right. You are right to fear me. You lackeys are no match for me, the 'White Fang' of the Beehives!"

"To think that Onodera Haru won over even someone like the deadly 'White Fang,' Amazing. Her compassionate and pure heart is truly above us!"

"W-What!? What are you talking about!? I'm the one that saved her! And we don't have anything special between us!"

"Well, Paula x Haru is good too..."

"Y-You bastards...how dare you make fun of me," said Paula, her killing intent rising out of her like a storm of blades. She flapped open her coat, taking two large pistols out from her collection of arms inside.

"Crap. This might be bad," said the lead black suit, watching the pistols warily. "How many Paula fans do we have here?"

None of the black suits raised their hands.

"What? Are you serious? Not a single one!?"

"Well...she's not that popular to be honest."

"Yeah. She's not even part of the harem."

"Oh. Well damn. It's not that bad then." All of the black suits drew guns out from their suits and pointed them at Paula. "Now, we'll give you to the count of ten-"

A shower of bullets struck the black suits' guns, disarming them in an instant. Paula cocked her pistols.

"What were you saying?"

"...Please be my waifu."

"#255! NOO! DON'T FALL FOR HER TRICKS! She's just a loli!"

"Listen up," said Paula, firing bullets at the black suits' feet. They shut up and settled down. "I am willing to negotiate because I feel generous today. If you supply me with one bag of candy each, then I may consider sparing your lives."

"P-Paula-san?"

"Shh, Onodera Haru!"

"A bag of candy each?"

"Jeez! Do you know how expensive that is? I can't afford that on my salary."

"What about peppermints? Do they count?"

"NO! I hate peppers!" said Paula.

"Well...they don't have peppers in them-"

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"Make your decision!" said Paula, cocking her guns again. The black suits looked at each other and sighed.

"Ok, I'll cover you today."

"Thanks #163."

The black suits began taking out candy from their pockets. Paula watched them with a greedy expression on her face.

"...Paula-san," said Haru with a touch of exasperation.

"No, none of those cinnamon ones. I don't like those."

"What!? But cinnamon is great for your metabolism!"

"Then you eat them!"

"...Well, I mean, they're good for you but-"

"Come on. You gotta eat them now."

"Yeah, you can't just wimp out like that after trying to force them on someone."

"...Damn it." The black suit stuffed his mouth with a handful of cinnamon chewies. "Are you guys happy now? B-Because...because I'm not...sniff..."

"Ok. You're free to go," said Paula after she piled all the candy into her voluminous pockets.

"You know what. I feel liberated," said one of the black suits.

"Yeah. Now I won't get cavities."

"You guys are just trying to cope. Don't get ahead of yourselves."

Deprived of their candy, the black suits filed out and left the hall. Haru finally relaxed and exhaled in relief.

"Paula-san...thanks again."

"H-Hmph! D-Don't think this was anything special. It was for the candy," said Paula, pulling her scarf up to her mouth. "Why were they chasing you anyways?"

"I don't know. They were after my letter for some reason," said Haru, smoothing out the love letter. Paula's ears pricked up at her words.

"Letter? You mean a love letter?" said Paula, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Heeeh~ you like someone, Onodera Haru?"

"H-Huh!? N-No! I-It's not like that!"

"Who is it? You can tell me," said Paula, her eager smile crinkling her eyes.

"I-It's no one! It's not for anyone!"

"Heeeh~. But this is clearly a love letter," said Paula, pointing at the hearts drawn on the envelope. Haru wanted sink into the ground. Why had she drawn those? Why!?

"This is just...a normal letter. It's not a love letter-"

"Oh really? Let me see it then."

"N-No! It's nothing, really, Paula-san!"

"Oh come on, let me see it~"

"P-Paula-san!" said Haru, holding the letter up above her head.

"Just let...me...see it!" said Paula, stretching and jumping to try and grab it.

"I-I'm telling you, this is not a love lette-!"

_BANG!_

"DOWN, ONODERA HARU!"

The sound of a gunshot. Paula pushed Haru down onto the ground. Haru's hand stayed up, waving the letter in the air.

A hole appeared in the love letter.

_BANG! BANG!_

Two more shots. With the passing of a single second, there was only a tattered scrap left of the love letter in Haru's hand.

"YEAH! I got it!" said a black suit on the other end of the hall, bent over the scope of a sniper rifle. "Priority target deeeestroyed!"

"Nice shot, dude. You're totally going to get promoted for this."

"Finally! I can start buying real Spam instead of that cheap imitation Spam."

_Ah..._

Paula tried to locate the source of the gunfire. A sniper, huh? She grabbed Haru and tumbled over to a nearby wall. They wouldn't be able to hit them from this angle.

"Onodera Haru. Are you ok?" asked Paula, reloading her pistols. There was no answer. A flash of worry struck through Paula. "Onodera Haru! Don't tell me you were hit-!"

Haru was fine. But her letter was destroyed. All that was left of the love letter was a tiny scrap in her palm. Haru sat against the wall, staring disbelievingly at her hand.

"Onodera Haru...?"

"Ha...haha..." All that time she had spent on this letter. All the feelings that she poured into it. All the hopes that she had pinned on it. Gone. Just like that.

Even though she had tried so hard. Even though...she had finally decided to...

"Ha...ha...I guess...I guess it's karma. I shouldn't have...had these feelings in the first place..." said Haru. She hugged her knees to her chest, hot tears flowing down her face. Paula was taken aback. For a moment, even the deadly 'White Fang' of the Beehives couldn't think of a single response to the scene in front of her. A young girl whose dying love had been stomped on once again by fate.

"S-Stop it, Onodera Haru," said Paula at last. "What are you crying about?"

Haru just sniffed in answer. She tightened her hold on her legs as she felt her heart squeeze.

"W...Why are you crying, Onodera Haru?' said Paula, tears welling up in her own eyes. "Y-You shouldn't be crying. You said it wasn't a love letter. Y-You said it was nothing."

"...Uu...Uwaaah..." A sob escaped past Haru's mouth.

"D-Don't cry. Don't cry," said Paula, her words half-mumbled as she started rubbing her eyes. "Y-Y...hic...You don't have anything...sniff...to cry about!"

"AAhh...aahh..." Haru released it all. All her doubts, all her worries; all of her love, all of her emotions; they flowed onto her knees, down onto the floor, soaking into the cold tiles.

"A-Anyways...i-it's just a letter!" said Paula, trying to get a hold of herself. "It's just a letter, Onodera Haru! I-If...if you really like that person...then it's not like you can't tell him directly."

"Sniff...hic...huh?" said Haru, lifting her head, her hair matted against her wet face.

"Y-Yeah. You can just tell him! You don't need a letter," said Paula, wiping her eyes. "In fact, it's better to say it face to face."

"...Tell him...directly?" said Haru, wiping her own face.

"Yeah. If you love someone, you're supposed to confess to them in person, aren't you?" said Paula, sniffing a little. "Y-You tell them to meet you somewhere alone and you go and confess your feelings to that person. Isn't that how it's done here?"

"T-That's..." said Haru, laughing a little. "I-I guess..."

"So, you've still got a chance! You can still tell that person you love him."

Haru rested her head against the wall. Paula's encouraging smile fell a little.

_Tell him directly...huh?_

Her love letter was gone. When those bullets had torn through the paper, it was like Haru's own heart had been shot. And now that it was gone, now that her feelings were scattered in singed scraps on the floor, she felt tired. Finally, finally at last, she felt like she could give up her feelings. She felt like now, when she had been beaten down like this, now she could just let everything go.

_...Let it all go._

_Just support Onee-chan._

_Push them together with a big smile. And wish them happiness._

That was what Haru wanted to do. That was what she wanted to give to her treasured sister, the person she loved most in the entire world. If Haru could do this, she felt like she would be happy. She felt like she would have no regrets.

_Yeah..._

_Finally...I can just..._

_Let you go...senpai._

The boy that had taken care of her when she had gotten lost in middle school. The Prince that had saved her from thugs and from that falling scaffolding...

The boy that was so awkward that he was forced into a fake relationship-

The boy that loved the same foods she did, that matched her love of sweets, cooking, and her sister-

The boy that had cheered her on even when she had been up against the girl he loved in a beauty contest-

The boy that made Haru's heart skip a beat whenever he called her name, that made her feel warm and clumsy whenever he smiled at her-

"I don't..."

"What? What did you say, Onodera Haru?"

"I don't...want to..."

Haru pressed her palms against her eyes.

"I don't want to...give up on him...I don't want to...stop loving him..."

Paula smiled as she saw Haru scrunch her mouth up and try to hold back her tears. She put a comforting arm around Haru and let her cry on her shoulder.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall-<p>

"...We're very sorry. We are bad men. We have done an awful thing."

"Continue."

"We made a young girl cry. We are deeply ashamed. We will apologize to this girl as soon as possible and beg for her forgiveness."

"What else...?"

"And we will do everything in our power to make amends to the girl that we have wronged."

"Good. I hope you understand now how much trouble you caused," said Yui to the black suits.

"Yes. We understand. We are very sorry," said the sniper and his comrade. They bowed again, so low that their foreheads touched the ground.

"Ok, Ie. I think we can let them off the hook," said Yui with a wink. Ie nodded and hopped off the black suit's back.

"Well now...I wonder if Chitoge-chan and Tsugumi-chan are ok."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **Phew! That one was long!_


	12. Part Twelve - Blood Ringing in Her Ears

**A/N:** _Happy Halloween everyone!_

* * *

><p><strong>The Plan<strong>

_Part Twelve  
><em>

* * *

><p>For her tenth birthday, her parents had allowed her to have a birthday party. She invited all of her friends and double-checked all of her plans to make sure that everything would go fantastic. When her birthday came, everyone who was invited made it and everything was going well. Pizza arrived on time, the cake was a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream filling, and the girl was able to blow out all of her candles when she made a wish.<p>

It was the perfect party. She knew that her birthday would be the talk of the class when the weekend was over. She had even made some new friends after showing them how nicely her Tamagotchi family was growing.

And there was still the best part left. Opening the presents. Everyone sat at the table, looking expectantly at the birthday girl's present stack, which was so large that it completely covered the girl from view. She looked at her presents with star-struck eyes and hugged her parents. Of course, each person would be thanked individually once their present came around. After taking pictures and making small talk, the grand event was about to start.

"Look at how excited she looks," said the mother to one of the parents. "Thank you so much for buying her a present. But you didn't have to buy something so extravagant..."

"Oh, it was no problem at all! She's a growing girl. It's important that she has a good childhood, don't you think?"

"Yes...I suppose so. Thank you again."

The mumblings of the adults only fed the girl's excitement. She grabbed her first present, the largest in the stack, and looked at the tag. It was from her neighbors, the Yamadas.

"Oho, happy birthday _! I hope you enjoy what we got you. The wife spent a whole day trying to decide."

"D-Don't tell them that!"

The adults all started laughing. The girl's friends gathered around so that they could see what the present was.

"What is it?"

"It's got to be a N64. Look at how big it is!"

"I bet it's Pokemon, the board game! Oh my god, that would be so cool."

"Hurry up, unwrap it!"

The girl carefully unfolded the wrapping paper. Although she was eager to see what the present was, she also knew that she had to be polite and respectful. After all, she was ten years old now! She was no longer an immature, bratty girl. She was already on her way to becoming a fine, mature woman!

The final bits of the wrapping paper came away. There was a large white box in front of her. With trembling fingers, the girl took the lid off the box, allowing her friends to see the beautiful treasure within-

"Oh wow! It's a...a..."

An enormous tapestry with black daubs that vaguely looked like mountains.

"An ink wash painting! That's a genuine one, you know! We had it painted by a famous artist."

"Oh, you shouldn't have...really! This is too much..." said the mother, uttering a little "wow" as she held the painting up. "Don't you think this will look great on your wall, _?"

"...Yeah," said the girl, struggling to keep her tone upbeat. "I...It's great. Thank you very much, Yamada-san."

The adults oohed and ahhed at the ink wash painting. The male Yamada was giving a summary of the artist's portfolio, eliciting cries of wonder and awe.

The girl and her friends looked at the son of the Yamadas.

"It's great, isn't it?" said the son. They all gave him crooked smiles.

_W-Well...there's plenty of presents left,_ thought the girl, putting the painting aside. She picked up another present, this one from her closest friend. This was bound to be a great present. They knew exactly what each other liked.

The girl unwrapped the present a bit more quickly than before. It was another white box. Feeling a sense of dread, the girl lifted the lid.

"Oh wow. It's...a wool sweater..."

The girl looked at her close friend. She averted her gaze, covering her face with her hand.

"Oh a sweater! That's perfect for the winter," said the mother, pulling the sweater out of the box.

"Isn't it? That's what we thought too! They said it's going to be quite chilly this year," said one of the parents. "Our daughter was going on about something called Super Mario 64..."

"Oh no, this is much better," said the mother. "The school year is starting soon and it's been hard finding some good clothing for _ to wear."

"Yes, yes. They're getting more and more expensive every year," said the parent, nodding sympathetically.

The girl hurriedly picked another present. Heh, this was a joke, right? They couldn't all be like this.

The next present was a _kendama_. The girl stared at it with eyes like a dead fish.

"That's mine!" said one of her friends. "I got you that. It's so cool. You flip the ball and try to catch it on the spike-"

The girl flipped the wooden toy, catching the ball and its string instantly on the spike. She tossed it aside and grabbed the next present.

An _akabeko._ The head of the red cow wobbled as the girl finished unwrapping it.

Next was a wristband with the words "I love Tokyo!"

Then a necklace of cheap bottle caps.

A bottle of _ramune._

A packet of instant ramen.

A boxset of Fist of the North Star DVDs.

A freaking labcoat, of all things!

And so on.

Finally, there was only one present left. All of the adults were cheerfully talking about the presents and how each of them had picked such wonderful things for her tenth birthday. Her so-called friends were watching one of the guys trying to catch the ball on the _kendama_.

She wanted to cry. How did things become like this? Wasn't this going to be the best birthday party ever? Hadn't everything been going her way up to this point? She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to keep the tears from falling. Was this what it meant to turn ten-years old? Was this the kind of sacrifice she had to make to become a fine, mature woman?

She took the last present into her hands. It was obviously a book inside. She began unwrapping it, feeling beaten and weak. She just wanted one. One good present that would make all of this worth it. Yes, she was no longer a kid. She was ten-years old. But she didn't want to end her old self like this. She didn't want to start her new life with such disappointment.

Being a kid meant you were immature. It meant that no one listened to you and everyone thought they knew what was best for you. But, she realized, it also meant that you had a lot of fun. You were spoiled and everyone wanted to show you the best time of your life. Being a kid meant that you had the spotlight.

But it was ending for her now. The curtains were going to close. The girl wiped her eyes and tore away the last of the wrapping paper.

If only she could leave the stage with a grand encore...

The present was a volume of manga. A big grin appeared on her face as she saw the title. A miracle! It was a miracle! It was her favorite series, the one that she had been following for two years now, the one that she begged her parents to buy everytime a new volume was released in stores. Her parents had made her start saving up money for new volumes so she hadn't been able to get the newest one. But here it was now! Right in her hands!

"Oh, you like that manga, don't you _? I was hoping that was the right one."

"It is! Thank you so much, Mr. Yamamoto!" said the girl, beaming with happiness. Oh, she wanted to read it right now! It was love. She was in love with this manga. She was in love with the characters and their antics, all the fun times they had with each new volume. She knew that no matter how old she got, she would always be reading this manga.

"That's good. It's the last volume, you know? Real shame that the series ended."

It ended up being a horrible birthday. All of the guests left, muttering to themselves and wondering what had happened. The parents were so worried that they called an ambulance to take their daughter to the hospital.

Because their daughter had been sitting in the same spot for the past five hours. She did not speak. She did not move.

It was as if she had turned into a rock.

* * *

><p>"And I swore to myself after that. I would never let anything that I loved end so miserably ever again."<p>

The labcoat girl finished her story on the stage, her arms crossed, a triumphant smile on her face.

"...Well? Where's my applause? Don't you think that was an inspiring life story?"

The black suits looked at each other and hesitated. The labcoat girl's smile started to falter as the silence continued to stretch.

"Well!? Wasn't it inspiring!?"

"Uh...yeah..."

"...T-That wasn't easy, you know? ...It's not like I had to tell you guys that! It was really traumatic, you know! I only told you guys...sniff...cause I thought you'd understand..."

The labcoat girl became teary-eyed.

"B-Boss! G-Go Boss!"

"Yeah! Boss is the best!"

"She suffered so much! What a brave ten-year old, she was!"

The black suits began cheering and applauding. The labcoat girl stopped rubbing her eyes and looked at the crowd.

"R-Really? You guys mean it?"

"You're the light of our life, Boss! A shining example to all Oliver Twists in the world!"

"Hooray, Boss! We're with you all the way! Keep persevering!"

"Wasn't she just a spoiled brat?"

The room went dead with silence. A spotlight lit up the black suit that had just made that remark.

"You there. What number are you?"

"...Uh #155."

Normally, this sort of pattern would lead to a trapdoor opening beneath the black suit and sending him falling down to some unknown location deep under the Earth. And of course, that was exactly what happened. However, this was Black Suit #155. A veteran Black Suit. He had seen this pattern enough times to prepare himself.

"HWAAHH!"

With a tremendous cry, #155 jumped away just as the trapdoor opened underneath him. He ran through the other black suits as square after square of the floor popped away into holes.

"UWWOOOOOOOHHHH!" yelled #155, running all the way onto the stage. The other black suits stared at him in awe. It was the first time! The first time that a black suit had escaped the traps! A deafening cheer came from the black suits.

"He did it! HE DID IT!"

"HE OVERCAME THE BOSS!"

"#155, YOU'RE MY HERO!"

#155 raised his arms over his head and roared proudly.

"NO MORE OPPRESSION! NO MORE TAKING ORDERS FROM THIS KID WITH A LACKLUSTER BACKSTORY! WHO'S WITH ME!?" said #155, punching his fist into the air. Another bout of cheering that shook the room. He spun around, flinging a finger at the labcoat girl. "WE'RE THROUGH WITH YO-"

The labcoat girl had disappeared. Eyes wide with surprise, #155 scanned the stage, trying to see where the labcoat girl had gone.

_Sluuuuuurp._

The labcoat girl was calmly sipping a soda at the front of the black suit crowd. She waved up at #155, who felt his heart immediately sink.

Then, a trapdoor opened underneath the entire stage.

* * *

><p>"And that was how I regained control and quelled a coup brewing in the 'Shield of False Love,'" said the labcoat girl, nodding approvingly at her flashback.<p>

"Wait a second. Did we just have a flashback within a flashback?" said one of the black suits, momentarily disorientated.

"Oh god, I think I'm going to throw up."

"In any case, I hope you all got the moral of the story," said the labcoat girl, sitting on the shoulder of her giant robot. "There are important things in this world. Things that you have to fight for. And if you do nothing, fate won't feel sorry for you. It'll mercilessly whisk it away."

"Well, that's part of growing up, Boss," said one of the black suits. "You know, back when I was just finishing college, I fell in love with this one sweet gal and-"

"Who said I wanted to hear your life story!? Did you find Ichijou Raku and Onodera Kosaki!?"

"...No, boss."

"Well, go find them! If we find them, then we can easily take care of _Kirisaki Chitoge._" A vein throbbed in the labcoat girl's temple. "Calling me a washboard of all things...that foreign bitch...!"

"Does the boss sound more pissed off than usual?"

"Maybe. I can never tell. Her loli voice is so squeaky and cute."

"You two! If you have nothing to do, then wipe the dust off my robot! It needs to be kept in tip-top shape. These parts are expensive," said the labcoat girl, hopping off the robot's shoulder. The two black suits sighed and walked over to the robot. Not having a rag or anything, the two were forced to use their jackets to wipe the robot down.

"This is dry clean only..."

"Well, you don't get to wear a suit often. I'm glad that we're such a stylish organization."

"I guess so. This suit does make me look slimmer."

The labcoat girl walked over to a nearby window and looked outside. The sky was quite clear today and the sun was shining brightly. All in all, it didn't look a day for an invasion to happen on.

"Well, no one would expect the world to end because of a few high school students," murmured the labcoat girl, resting her cheek on the window. What a ridiculous place this world was. A fragile balance that tilted on the whims of something like children's hearts. A beansprout boy. The girls that reached out to him, hesitantly, delicately.

They were just kids. They would fall in love again. They would have their hearts broken again. And they would live on. Live on until their hearts numbed into an adult heart. Their burdens and responsibilities, rather than weights on their shoulders that could be held up by their friends and family, they would become shackles on their sore ankles, the lock rusted shut and the key crumbled to dust.

In the end, that was the sort of world that they lived in. A world where childhood, as brightly as it shined, was brief and only darkness waited after it dimmed. It dragged on, sluggishly, leisurely, these clear sunshine days.

To be honest, it bored her. The world that they lived in. The road that their lives slowly walked on. Smooth and stretching endlessly. It was a carriage ride, with only the occasional passerby and pothole.

It bored her because she had ridden on this carriage all her life. But at the same time, she loved it. She knew it better than anything else. She could feel it when a single new pebble made its way onto the trail. She knew the best position to sleep comfortably under the clouds. The smell of sun-kissed wood enveloped her like an old friend. Looking around, she only saw the same, boring scenery. Heard the same, boring sounds.

She'd take a breath of the same, boring air. She'd lay back on the same, boring carriage, rest her hands lightly on her same, boring chest, and close her eyes.

It was truly boring. But she was at peace.

This world was her comfort zone. Her home.

No matter what, she would protect this place. With every fiber of her being. Even if this world was on the brink of disaster, she would fight. She would claw at chaos' hands and shred them to pieces.

The world needed change. It needed progress.

But right now, the world was fine. There was no need for change. No need for progress.

Stay the same. That's all it needed to do.

It was a child's greatest wish.

A fine, adult woman. A mature, responsible life.

It would have to wait. It _had_ to wait. Just a little longer. She wanted to enjoy her childhood, just a little longer.

"Boss! We've found Kirisaki Chitoge and Tsugumi Seishirou!"

"Oh? Where are they?" she asked, stepping away from the window.

"On the floor above us."

"I wasn't expecting to find them this quickly. But well, I suppose it might as well happen now," said the labcoat girl, putting her hands inside her coat's pockets. "Kids that want to taste adulthood early. This world doesn't need worthless things like that."

* * *

><p>"I see. So they're safe," said Chitoge into her cell phone. "Ok. I'll contact you guys when we're finished up here."<p>

Chitoge hung up the call and pocketed her phone. Ruri had informed her about Shu's prepared hiding place below the roof tiles. Chitoge was a little worried about having that perverted beansprout all alone with Kosaki, but it was a necessary risk. And if that guy ended up laying a finger on Kosaki, then she'd just beat him up after this was all over.

Chitoge had also called the Beehive Gang for backup. It seemed that Raku had called his family too. All they needed to do now was keep the black suits at bay until reinforcements arrived. Luckily, they weren't posing much of a problem.

"Ojou, all black suits in this area have been annihilated," reported Tsugumi. Behind her, the floor was almost completely covered in unconscious black suits. Chitoge nodded, rubbing some marks off her shoulder.

"You're really amazing, Tsugumi. You took out fifteen more guys than I did."

"No...I think it's more amazing that you were able to handle so many, Ojou," said Tsugumi, not sure how to feel about her mistress being so powerful.

"You think so?" said Chitoge, looking bemused.

"Hoh? You did quite a number on us, didn't you?"

Hearing those words, Chitoge and Tsugumi spun around and got into battle stances. The giant robot and a small army of black suits were at the other end of the hallway.

"I was expecting you two to be annoying at best, but you're proving to be massive thorns in my side," said the labcoat girl, jumping down from the giant robot. Chitoge felt her eye twitch reflexively. It wasn't just the girl's arrogant tone; just the way her face looked pissed Chitoge off.

"Heeh~ Look, a tiny wall appeared," said Chitoge, her voice colored with contempt. The labcoat girl ground her teeth, but forced her lips into a fake smile.

"My god, even after I warned this plastic Barbie doll reject...it seems your head is just as hollow, hm?"

"Ah? What was that? I couldn't hear you from all the way up here."

Tsugumi and the black suits watched uncomfortably as the hallway between them seemed to fill with dense air full of crackling sparks.

"Hmph. I was hoping to take care of Ichijou Raku and Onodera Kosaki first. But then again, skipping to the best part of the story is the audience's privilege," said the labcoat girl, smirking.

"Stay away from my friends!" said Chitoge, her eyes becoming sharp.

"Ooh, I'm scared. How are you going to stop me?" said the labcoat girl, stretching out her arms tauntingly. She frowned at the silence behind her. She snapped her fingers impatiently and the black suits started laughing weakly.

"Khh...this washboard runt," said Chitoge, balling up her fist.

"Ojou. Please let me take care of this," said Tsugumi, stepping in front of her.

"Haaahh? Tsugumi Seishirou? Ahaha, I'm quaking in my boots," said the labcoat girl, taking big gulps of air and releasing loud, obnoxious laughs. "HA! HA! HA!"

"Even though you are a cute little girl, I won't hold back against anyone that threatens Ojou," said Tsugumi, raising the pistols in her hands. The black suits moved to protect their boss, but the labcoat girl halted them with a hand.

"Hoh~? Pretty brazen thing for a third-rate hitman to say," said the labcoat girl.

"Third-rate?" Tsugumi's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Looks like it. After all, what else can I call you but third-rate?" said the labcoat girl, shrugging. "You can't even hit a little photograph."

It was like a bullet pierced Tsugumi's heart. An intense chill ran through and froze her body.

"Hm? What's wrong, Tsugumi Seishirou? You look pale," said the labcoat girl, her smile widening to show teeth. Tsugumi's body trembled, throwing off her aim.

"Tsugumi...?" said Chitoge. Tsugumi jerked at her voice, horrible guilt spreading in her stomach.

"O-Ojou..."

"Tsugumi, what's wrong?" said Chitoge, her face full of worry. Tsugumi clenched her eyes shut, trying to clear her head. _Ojou...I'm trying to protect Ojou. That's all that matters. Don't think about useless things!_

"It's nothing, Ojou," said Tsugumi, regaining control of herself. She took a deep breath and repositioned her aim. The labcoat girl's smile continued to widen.

"Yeah, what's wrong, Tsugumi Seishirou? Surely you've told Kirisaki Chitoge about your little handicap. She's the one under your protection. Don't you think she should know about things like that?"

"Shut up!" said Tsugumi, her arm trembling again. "Shut your mouth!"

"Oh? Could it be...that you didn't tell her? How irresponsible...are you really a bodyguard? I feel awful for that mafia brat, having a worthless bodyguard like you."

"What did you say!?" shouted Chitoge, bristling. Tsugumi gritted her teeth, unable to respond.

"Hm? What, you aren't ashamed of that weakness? Ah...that's right. It's not just any photograph, is it? It's just one particular person..."

"Shut up!" said Tsugumi again, a hint of desperation in her voice now. "Don't..."

"Heeh~ forget what I said earlier. You're even bolder than I thought. Having those kinds of feelings..."

"What the hell are you talking about!? What would you know about Tsugumi!?" yelled Chitoge.

"Why don't you ask her?" said the labcoat girl.

"What...?" Chitoge turned to look at Tsugumi. For a moment, their eyes connected, but then Tsugumi sharply averted her gaze. Chitoge felt her skin grow cold.

Tsugumi was Chitoge's best friend. Whenever she looked at Tsugumi, her eyes were full of warmth and kindness. Tsugumi truly cared for her, perhaps more than anyone else. And Chitoge loved her because of that.

So, Chitoge was startled. She was startled by the look on Tsugumi's face, an emotion that she had rarely seen in Tsugumi's eyes.

Fear. Pure, gnawing fear.

"Tsugumi...?"

"Ojou...I-I..."

Tsugumi couldn't think. Her body wouldn't move. Everything was blowing up inside her all at once. All the guilt, fear, and shame she had accumulated, these awful feelings that had surfaced sparingly over the past year, they surged forward and crippled her. She was drowning. Drowning and unable to swim. The weight of her feelings gripped her tightly, dragging her down into unbearable darkness.

_Just a little more._

The labcoat girl was feverish with triumph. Just a little more and the most dangerous obstacle would be broken. With Tsugumi Seishirou in pieces, Kirisaki Chitoge wouldn't stand a chance.

What a foolish girl. Trying to protect someone while possessing such a fragile heart.

It was asking to be smashed.

"Who is this special person, I wonder?" said the labcoat girl. "Well, Kirisaki Chitoge? Don't you want to know?"

Chitoge's throat locked up. She wanted to know. She wanted to know what could cause her best friend to be so frightened. She wanted to know what was hurting her friend so badly that she couldn't move.

But she couldn't ask. Because Tsugumi was scared of that knowledge. She was frightened of others knowing about it.

_A photograph of one person..._

An enemy? No...she wouldn't hide something like that from her. A close friend? But why would she be afraid of that? Chitoge wracked her brains through the possibilities. But nothing added up. What could Tsugumi, one of the strongest people she knew, be so afraid of?

_What would I be afraid of?_

The thought came to Chitoge. There were plenty of things. Ghosts and being all alone in a dark forest. Her favorite ramen stores closing down. Not ever being able to see her parents ever again. Having Raku find out the truth about her feeli-

_Ah..._

Chitoge lost her breath. A special person's photograph. One that you couldn't damage, one that you wouldn't want anyone else to know about-

The photograph of someone you loved in secret.

_Is that it? Does she know about Tsugumi's love?_

Chitoge couldn't forgive her. Taking advantage of Tsugumi's pure feelings like that...it was blackmail, plain and simple. It was evil and cruel!

"Tsugumi. That photograph is someone you like, isn't it?"

The fear on Tsugumi's face escalated into sheer terror. But, Chitoge clamped a supporting hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Tsugumi! Even if it's someone you like, it's just a photograph. And I won't tell anyone!" said Chitoge, smiling encouragingly.

"O-Ojou...that's not..." Tsugumi started to cry. If Chitoge found out...if she knew that she was holding such disgraceful feelings even though she was supposed to be Chitoge's best friend...

"Ehh~ how heartwarming. Perhaps I had Kirisaki Chitoge all wrong. To think she holds so much trust for her close friends..." said the labcoat girl.

"You shut up!" yelled Chitoge. "Tsugumi is my _best_ friend! Nothing you say is going to change that!"

_Ojou..._

_I'm so sorry, Ojou..._

Tsugumi opened her eyes. Yes, it didn't matter if this person knew about her feelings. Chitoge was her friend. Chitoge was one of the most important people in her life. Right now, all that mattered was to protect Chitoge.

She would do anything it took. Because Chitoge would always stand on her side.

"I'll protect Ojou!" declared Tsugumi. She pointed her guns at the labcoat girl, her aim steadier than ever. Her fingers pressed the triggers.

_THERE!_

The labcoat girl pulled a remote from her labcoat and pressed the button. The giant robot dashed in front of the girl, shielding her from Tsugumi's range.

And then, its chest opened up.

Tsugumi choked. She fired her guns, but the bullets missed and ricocheted off the walls. Tsugumi's arms fell to her sides.

On the robot's chest. A blown up version of the photograph she had at home.

Ichijou Raku's face.

It broke. Everything crowded in and burst inside her head. Tsugumi's mind and heart cracked.

Tsugumi didn't know how to react. She didn't know what to do, what to say. Only a single, panicking thought rampaged through her-

_Ojou-_

_She knows-_

"That's..."

Chitoge blanked out too. What was that? That was a photograph, right? Was that the person that Tsugumi loved? The special someone that she had feelings for? Eh? But...that was...

_Tsugumi likes..._

_Huh?_

_Eh?_

_But...that can't..._

_What?_

_When?_

_Wha-_

Tsugumi screamed. She screamed so violently that the black suits cried out in pain and grabbed their ears. The labcoat girl laughed, her eyes overflowing with manic joy.

_I did it.  
><em>

_I broke Tsugumi Seishirou!_

"RAAAHHHHHH!"

Shame and guilt changed into absolute fury, etched into every line on Tsugumi's face. She charged at the labcoat girl, still screaming, her body flying across the hallway in a flickering blur. In one blink, she was right in front of the girl, her pistol just inches from the girl's forehead.

A ear-piercing crack. It echoed through the hallway, ringing all the way into Chitoge's ears.

The giant robot stood again in front of the labcoat girl, its claw swung to the side after smashing into Tsugumi's head. She was flung backwards, blood spraying from her nose and mouth.

"TSUGUMI!"

Chitoge ran. She threw herself, arms outstretched. Tsugumi crashed into her, sending both of them tumbling backwards.

"HAHAHA! What is this! Charging straight at the enemy in such a predictable way. You really are an awful bodyguard!" said the labcoat girl, slapping her leg. "Huh? Were you blind with rage? Haha! Is that all it takes for someone like you, 'Black Tiger?'"

"Tsugumi! Tsugumi!"

"Ojou..."

Tsugumi's eyes fluttered. But her mouth wouldn't work the way she wanted. She felt the blood dripping down her face, but couldn't feel the pain.

"Tsugumi!" cried Chitoge, wiping at the blood with her sleeve.

"I...I'm sorry...Ojou..."

"Don't talk! Don't talk, Tsugumi!"

"I'm...sorry. I...I betrayed your trust..." said Tsugumi, tears mixing with the blood. "I'm...an awful person..."

"No! DON'T SAY THAT, TSUGUMI! IT'S NOT TRUE! YOU..."

Chitoge's words stuck in her throat. She hugged Tsugumi to her chest tightly.

"You didn't betray me, you're not awful. You're my best friend," said Chitoge, her voice cracking.

"O...Ojou..."

Tsugumi's vision began to blur. She felt her eyes growing heavy. A rattling breath escaped from her lips.

"Finish them," said the labcoat girl. The giant robot stepped forward, its weight stamping cracks in the floor. Chitoge sat there, holding Tsugumi's limp body in her arms.

"That's right...This world won't end so easily," said the labcoat girl. "I won't let it. Even if I have to dirty my hands until they're black."

The robot stood over Chitoge. It raised its claw above its head.

"Don't underestimate the difference between what we fight for, you damn brat!" said the labcoat girl. The robot's claw swung down with the speed of a crashing jet-

_SMASH!_

The robot's claw tore away from its body. It crashed into the window, shattering the glass, then recoiled to the other wall, cracking the plaster. The robot swung its free arm-

Chitoge stomped it into the floor, splintering the tiles. She clenched her fist and swung it at the robot's chest-

Ichijou Raku's face disappeared. A hole blasted through the robot's chest, scattering wires and shards of metal behind it, like an explosion. The robot was sent back with such force that it threw the black suits all the way back to the stairway.

"What-"

The labcoat girl's breath caught, her body pressed against the wall. She had just barely dodged the giant robot. Her hair splayed in a mess across her face, the labcoat girl twisted forward in a panic.

**"You're dead."**

Words filled with killing intent. Lethal words that had never come out of her mouth. Kirisaki Chitoge stepped forward, crushing the remains of the robot's claw under her foot.

"Heh..." The labcoat girl gripped the wall with a mixture of horror and excitement. Cold sweat dripped down her face. "Is that right? And how exactly are you going to kill m-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Chitoge's fist, balled so tightly that her nails ripped her skin, drilled into the girl's face.


	13. Part Twelve and Half - Intermission

**The Plan**

_Part 12.5  
><em>

* * *

><p>In hindsight, it really wasn't his fault. After all, things had been chaotic and he <em>had<em> put his life at stake in order to protect the girl he loved.

But even so...

"He's human trash. The worst kind of guy."

"Now, now...let's not be so harsh on him. Although...this is pretty cruel, Raku..."

* * *

><p><em>Just a few minutes ago~<em>

Having gathered to wait for the supposed arrival of Ichijou Raku in an hour, the crowd of black suits had decided to entertain themselves while they waited. Currently, they were in an intense game of rock, paper, scissors with a special rule that the loser would have to join the winning team.

"Don't lose! We absolutely need #76! He's the best at this game!"

"I'm going to play rock."

"D-Damn it! I let my guard down. Now I have to worry about whether he'll really play rock or if he's lying!"

"Or I might play...paper."

"Two consecutive hits...this guy is a pro!"

"He's done for! There's no way this could get any worse..."

"Or...maybe I'll surrender..."

The black suits roared in awe at the technique. What amazing skill! To introduce the possibility of winning to an opponent that was sure to lose! Not to mention using a bluff that didn't even make sense in the context of the game! It was a chilling move that disorientated the player while also provoking them to be more aggressive.

Ruri and Shu slipped out of the room as the battle came to a climax, the sound of a louder roar than the first one signaling that some sort of massive upset had occurred. Well, at the very least, it seemed like they had gained themselves about two hours. Shu was sure that these sort of guys would get distracted and lose track of time.

"Alright, now that we've got Raku and Onodera-san in a good place, we should get ourselves to safety," said Shu. "It looks like Yui-nee is helping to evacuate the other students, so we should go and join up with her."

"I'm amazed that you were able to get info at a time like this," said Ruri. "No wait...how did you even know that?"

"Fufu, like I said to Raku, don't underestimate my information network, Ruri-chan!" said Shu, his glasses glinting. A buzzing sound came from his pocket. "Ah, some more info-"

Ruri stomped on Shu's foot.

"Ruri-chan, that's the worst place you could aim for right now..." said Shu, his eyes watering. "But well, this Ruri-chan is nice too~"

"...I haven't said anything before, but it's starting to irritate me," said Ruri, shoving Shu's grinning face away. "When did we get so close that you could call me by my given name?"

"Ara~ we are close, aren't we!" said Shu with an enormous cat-like smile.

"The day I'm close with voyeuristic scum like you is when you turn into a woman," said Ruri with her eyes dead.

"You just can't be honest with yourself, Ruri-chan. But that is cute too~"

"Speaking of which..." said Ruri as she finished whacking Shu a couple times. "The only ones you call by their surname are Kirisaki-san and Kosaki-chan."

"Eh? Do I?" said Shu, his eyes spinning.

"But you've known them as longer than Tsugumi-san or Tachibana-san, so why...?" said Ruri under her breath.

"Hmmmmmm. I really can't say," said Shu, seriously considering the question. "Well, I wouldn't want to call them too familiarly anyways. It'd be rude."

"What?" said Ruri, her eye twitching. "A damn pervert like you considering the feelings of girls?"

"That's harsh, Ruri-chan. I try to show my best behavior to all girls!" said Shu, pounding his chest. Ruri desperately wanted to smack him again, but at this point, it was her hand that was taking more of a beating. "But well, I meant it'd be rude to Raku."

"Ichijou-kun?" Ruri's eyebrows went up a little in surprise.

"Of course. He's my best friend after all," said Shu, shaking his head like the reason was so obvious that anyone could tell. It hurt, but Ruri tightened her fist anyways.

"I see...you were being considerate of Ichijou-kun," said Ruri. It was a surprising answer. It was true, though, that they were the only two girls that Shu did not refer to so familiarly. The girl that was "dating" his best friend. The girl that his best friend had feelings for. But to hear something like this from Maiko Shu...no...it was unexpected, but not completely implausible. Although he was a pervert and an enemy to women everywhere, he wasn't actually a bad person...

"Hm? Are you alright, Ruri-chan? Your face is all red."

"I-It's nothing," said Ruri, turning her face away.

"Ara~~~~~ is it really nothing?" said Shu, an eager smile appearing on his face. "It seems like you're trying to hide something..."

"What would I be hiding right now, you...!" said Ruri, trying to shove Shu away again as he popped up all around, examining her from every angle. "This is why you're a pest, Maiko-ku-"

_Hm?_

_Oh...?_

* * *

><p><em>Back to the present~<em>

The two of them had seen something move in the corner of their eye. It had been in the space underneath the stairway, away from the black suits' sight. However, it was still unthinkable that she had been lying underneath the stairs this entire time...

"He's human trash. The worst kind of guy," said Ruri, a look of pure disgust appearing on her face.

"Now, now...let's not be so harsh on him. Although, this is pretty cruel, Raku..." said Shu, feeling a little embarrassed for his friend.

Lying underneath the stairway, abandoned in the heat of the moment, was the sleeping figure of Tachibana Marika.

"I've lost all respect for Ichijou-kun," said Ruri, sighing. "How could he just leave her here?"

"Well, there was a lot of stuff going on, so it's understandable," said Shu, walking over to Marika. "In any case, we should get her out of here. We can't be sure that the black suits aren't after her and it's too dangerous to leave her here all alone."

"I'll carry her," said Ruri, sensing a detestable aura coming from Shu.

"No way, Ruri-chan~ I can't let you carry her," said Shu, lifting Marika into his arms.

"Maiko-kun, for the sake of Tachibana's sanctity...what little of it is left..." started Ruri, reaching over for Marika.

"Sorry, Ruri-chan," said Shu, twisting away from her. "But there's no way I can let a girl do so much work. It's not manly at all."

"You _aren't_ manly."

"Ahaha, but I have to look the part at least," said Shu. "Someone told me that I'll be a good man in the future."

"Someone...?"

"Let's go, Ruri-chan! Off to join the others," said Shu, stepping forward and looking back at Ruri. "I wouldn't want something to happen to cute Ruri-chan also-"

_...Hm?_

His cheek was pinched by two soft fingers and pulled. Silky strands of black hair brushed past him.

"Well then? Hurry up, Maiko-kun," said Ruri.

"Ah...yeah..." said Maiko. He put a hand up to the warm, red spot on his face, a rare moment where Maiko Shu was thrown off.

That sort of brush-off. It was clear who he was thinking about when he had said it. And maybe it was true that he would become one inside and out in the future. When he became an adult and dropped this childish act of trying to act mature-

But even so...

Ruri walked briskly ahead, her face glowing. It wasn't that she was jealous or anything. She just wanted to him to know about her acknowledgement as well.

That perhaps...Maiko Shu was already a good man.


	14. Part Thirteen - A Small Hope

**The Plan**

_Part Thirteen  
><em>

* * *

><p>Small and cramped.<p>

The room that Maiko Shu and his comrades had made was not much more than a cubical enclosure. Although simple, the room had been meticulously sanded down to ensure that there were no rough spots to hurt yourself with. In addition, ventilation was provided through thin slices in the walls and ceiling, through which both light and air filtered through.

Small and cramped, but perhaps also cozy in a way. However, for Ichijou Raku and Onodera Kosaki, it was like standing on a balance beam over a pool of lava.

"S-Sorry Onodera!" said Raku for the fifth time as his leg involuntarily brushed against Kosaki's.

"N-No. I-It's my fault!" said Kosaki, shifting her leg to accommodate Raku. Her foot touched the inside of Raku's thigh.

"Hiii!"

"E-Eh!? Ichijou-kun!? What's wrong?"

"Ah...no...it's nothing..." said Raku, trying to calm himself down. What was that!? It wasn't like he had the inside of his thigh touched regularly, but his body had reacted more violently than he had expected. A shiver had run through his whole body and an embarrassing voice had escaped from his mouth. Raku tried to move his thigh away from Kosaki's foot.

"KYAH!"

"O-Onodera!? What's wrong!? Did I hurt you?"

"N-No...that's..." said Kosaki, her face glowing so red that she was sure that Raku could see it in the darkness. She covered her face and tried shift her body away. Raku's ankle had pushed up inside her skirt.

_This is bad..._thought Raku as their limbs continued to tangle together. The space was just large enough that they could sit with their backs to the wall; however, this left no space for their legs even when they kept them bent. Every little movement had Raku's legs touch a little more of Kosaki's legs. Raku felt like he was going to pass out from the battle raging inside his head. Pure bliss at feeling Kosaki's soft skin in brief pecks; insane embarrassment as Kosaki unknowingly inched into Raku's most sensitive areas; immeasurable guilt at putting Kosaki in such a shameful position.

Raku wanted to curse Shu for placing them in this situation, but at the same time, his heart was ready to bow down in gratitude to the masterful strategian.

_Damn you, Shu!_

_Why do you do this to me!? I mean, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!_

Kosaki was having an equally intense battle of emotions. At her core, Kosaki was a wholesome, soft-natured, young girl. There were those that referred to her as a "healing angel," an existence that warmed the soul and calmed people's weariness. However, it wasn't like Kosaki was a saint; like others her age, lewd thoughts crossed her mind. Naughty, even scandalous dreams and fantasies, urges that sometimes made her uncharacteristically aggressive in her actions; Onodera Kosaki had all the feelings of a girl in love, including those that weren't so innocent.

As much as Kosaki sometimes wanted to act on these emotions, her common sense held her back. She had a sense of dignity as a woman, but at the same time, she also did not feel prepared to take such daring steps. After all, she was still just a high school student. She hadn't even had her first kiss yet. Holding hands, little hugs, these gestures of affection had been chanced upon her in accidents and coincidences.

It wasn't that Kosaki didn't want to do those kinds of things. It wasn't like she wasn't aware of them. However, she did not have the courage to act on them. She did not want to be seen in that light by Ichijou Raku, such a shameless, unfiltered part of her self exposed so readily. Even though she loved Raku, even though she desperately wanted to convey her feelings to him, even she could not do something like stand in front of Raku naked right at this moment. In a similar fashion, Onodera Kosaki could not expose her bare heart to him.

But, Onodera Kosaki was still a young girl. She was still a maiden in love, both the good and the dark sides. As such, as Ichijou Raku's legs tunneled deeper into the depths of her skirt, wild thoughts began to race through Kosaki's head.

"Hawawawawa~" said Kosaki, her face steaming up and her eyes spinning. No, she couldn't think that! Oh no, could Ichijou-kun tell what she was thinking? It had to be all over her face. Even if she covered it up, he could tell! She knew he could, it was emanating out of her!

"Eh? Could this be...Onodera's..." said Raku as he felt his foot touch something soft, much softer than anything else so far. "UWAAAH!"

"Ichijou-kun!?"

"Ah..." groaned Raku, cringing as pain trickled like electricity through his head. The intensity of his emotions had caused him to reel his head back and crack it against the wall. This was crazy. This was insane! He couldn't keep this up. He was so close to Onodera! His foot was in places that it had no right to be in! He couldn't bear to look at Kosaki's face. What if she was disgusted at him? He was invading her in ways that would be considered criminal! If he looked into Onodera's eyes right now, he was sure that he would die. A sign that would make Raku feel like borderline sexual molestation was a-ok; such a thing wouldn't exist in the Onodera Kosaki he knew right now.

_Damn it...there has to be a better way, _thought Raku as he tried to rub the pain away from the back of his head. _Maybe if we try a different position..._

"Onodera. Let's try lying on our sides. Maybe we'll have more room that way."

"O-Ok!"

In their rush to get out of physical contact from each other, the two Bonyari students flung themselves onto their sides.

And smacked their heads on the opposite wall. The two of them winced, clutching their heads with shaking hands.

"Ok...that didn't work," said Raku, his eyes watering. Kosaki gave a small laugh. Oh, it seemed like she wasn't mad at him after all. Maybe she understood that he hadn't been doing those things on purpose. Raku wanted to cry at the generosity of Kosaki's empathetic heart. "Let's try something else, Onodera."

"Yeah."

The two of them tried to sit side by side with their legs out in front of them. However, the space forced them to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, their legs touching, their fingers separated only by a sliver of thin air. Although it was more comfortable than their initial positions, the two of them both agreed that for some strange reason, this position just didn't feel right. Unable to look at each other because of how red their faces were, the two tried to figure out some other position.

"Ow!" said Raku as Kosaki accidentally kicked him.

"I'm so sorry, Ichijou-kun!"

"No...it's ok. I'm fi-"

"OW!"

"Onodera!"

"I...I'm ok..." said Kosaki, clenching her stomach._ I KICKED ONODERA!_ How could he do that!? Stupid, STUPID! He hadn't been careful enough. Of all the things he could've done! He could've tapped her gently on the hip. He could've accidentally brushed against her breast. He could've knocked their foreheads against each other. But no! Oh no, this stupid dumbass beansprout had to KICK HER in the stomach!

It was one of the rare moments in Raku's life where he wished Chitoge was around to beat him up.

"Ichijou-kun?" said Kosaki as Raku cried silently to himself. "Ichijou-kun. Are you ok?"

"I'm so sorry, Onodera..."

"It's ok! I'm fine, really!" said Kosaki, trying to reach out to find Raku. She knew that it had been an accident, but judging from Raku's voice, it sounded like he was really taking it hard. Without realizing it, her hand was searching through the darkness, trying to touch and comfort him. "Ichijou-kun?"

"Onodera? Where are you?"

"Over here!"

Their voices echoed in the small space. Raku tried to stand on his feet so that he could turn around, but his body ended up blocking all the light. He couldn't see a damn thing. He reached his hand out behind him, trying to feel around for Kosaki.

"Onodera!"

"Ichijou-kun!"

Their hands waved over each other without touching. But they could feel the displacement of air. They tried reaching for each other again, trying to find each other in the darkness while squatting in the cramped space-

"Ah!"

"Wah!"

The two of them lost their balance and fell backwards into each other. Having been turned around, Onodera Kosaki and Ichijou Raku landed on their butts, their backs pressing into each other-

Silence. The contact between them cut the words that were in their throats. They could only hear the gentle rhythm of their breaths trying to settle.

_Onodera is..._

_Ichijou-kun's..._

Raku gulped. With each and every breath, he felt Kosaki's delicate back rise into his. He felt her pressing into him, his spine and ribs being gently stroked by her soft weight.

Kosaki couldn't stop trembling. She could feel warmth from Raku's wide back. It was firm against hers, a smooth, supple embrace that caressed the curve of her back.

The two sat together, back-to-back, their breathing gradually matching the rise of each other's bodies. Neither of them wanted to say a word. It was a moment that the two had never experienced together, a moment where it seemed like they were more deeply connected than ever before.

Neither wanted to break it. They wanted it to last as long as possible. They sat there, their thoughts melting away into nothingness. Sitting blankly, just pressing into one another, Ichijou Raku and Onodera Kosaki felt the waves of their unspoken romance finally relax.

A minute passed. Five minutes. Ten. Or perhaps more. At some point, they stopped caring about time. They didn't question why the other had suddenly gotten silent. They didn't wonder why the person they loved didn't show any adverse reaction to being in such close contact. The two of them stayed in that blissful trance, like the kind lull of a warm blanket wrapped around you; like the soothing flow that spread through you when you drank hot chocolate on a winter day. It was comforting. It was peaceful.

For Onodera Kosaki, it was something she wanted to last forever. She wanted it to surround her, to cling to it and press her cheeks against its assuring touch. Her body, desiring more, pressed back until it was fully touching Raku's. Her hand inched back, her palm lightly bumping into his.

"Ichijou-kun..." murmured Kosaki, her eyes half-lidded with happiness.

"S-Sorry, Onodera," said Raku, his senses returning to him slightly. But he didn't move. Because Kosaki didn't move. He didn't know why, but he didn't care. He just wanted to stay like this, this dream-like scenario.

Inside of her, an irrational, impatient part of Onodera was prodding at her. It was urging her to confess. This moment, it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Would there ever be a better mood? A better opportunity? Where no one would interrupt them, where nothing could possibly happen that could stop her from revealing her feelings once and for all-

But Kosaki bit her lip. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to ruin this moment. By talking, she would lose it. This moment where she was connected with Raku. The closest that she had ever been with him. Her mind argued back, telling her to sacrifice this moment for a lifetime of moments. A future where the two of them would be together, happier than now, closer than now.

Raku felt his teeth clench. He couldn't do it. He couldn't say it. No matter how much his heart ached to do it, no matter how much those words struggled behind his lips. Was he scared? Was he nervous? It was everything. Having been given this moment where everything was right, a taste of all that could happen if she was to return his feelings, it frightened Ichijou Raku. It frightened him because he finally became aware of what was at stake. For the first time, Ichijou Raku saw the depths of his heart as clearly as a mirror.

_I love Onodera Kosaki._

_I love Ichijou Raku._

_I don't-_

_want to lose him-_

_I don't want to-_

_lose our time together-_

_Ruin it-_

_Break it-_

_I want to-_

_keep loving him-_

_I don't want to stop loving her-_

_I don't want to have to give up on him-_

_I can't-_

_These feelings-_

And then, it was gone. The moment ended. The two hunched over their knees, separating their backs.

It was too frightening. The thought of losing what they had. Of being forced to give it up. Even if it was just an illusion, even if it was a meaningless hope-

They wanted to hold onto it. And so, they backed away from it. They decided to look at it from afar, to try and keep hidden underneath its glow.

Unnoticed. Meek.

Basking in the eternity of youth.

"Say...Onodera?"

"Yes...?"

"...I know this is sudden, but do you remember when we worked for your aunt at the hot springs inn? That conversation we had together in the bath..."

_Why did you say that you would be happy if I was your first love?_

Kosaki's heart squeezed. It scared her. It was like he had suddenly torn away a piece of the shell that was covering her heart.

"That's..."

"About that question I asked you...can you forget about it?"

"Eh?" Kosaki turned her head in surprise. What did he say? Forget it? Why? Why would he say that?

"Uh...it's just that..." started Raku, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. "It wasn't fair to ask you something like that. Asking about someone's first love...it wasn't very manly of me."

"What do you mean?"

"I...I wanted to hear your answer because I was hoping it would answer something I wanted to know. I thought I needed to know it...that it was important..." said Raku, scratching his head. "But now...I feel like I was doing it all wrong."

Fear. That had been what stopped Raku. The fear of rejection. The fear of losing his bond with Onodera Kosaki. In other words, he had been a coward. He had run away from the moment, from that single amazing burst of happiness. It was then that Raku had realized why he hadn't been able to take a step forward. He had always wanted to confess to Kosaki, but he had never actually made moves towards it. Because he had always been afraid. He had tried to look as far as possible and at the slightest sign of danger, he had bolted.

Sitting there with Kosaki, he could've confessed. In fact, at that moment, he had felt like Kosaki would've returned his feelings. He felt as if she had tried to reach out to him in her own way. He didn't know if it was a delusion or if it was just foolish wishing on his part. But it hadn't been "reality" that brought him back; no, it had just been his own worthless, cowardly thoughts.

"Onodera. There's something I want to tell you," said Raku. He turned around to face Kosaki. A small shaft of light played on her face, revealing her light, brown eyes, glimmering against the soft shadows. Seeing her face, Raku's chest tightened with fear again. _Don't say it! You're not ready. You're not close enough. You're just friends! You'll ruin everything!_

Yes, he was scared. He was so scared that, right now, he would rather face the entire Beehive Gang by himself.

But...

As scared as he was...

He couldn't lie to himself.

He loved Onodera Kosaki.

And he wanted to be deserving of her.

"Ichijou-kun...?"

"Onodera," said Raku, his eyes locked onto hers. _That's right...I won't be afraid anymore. I won't be reckless, but I won't be held back by my fears either._ "I want to tell you. It's the most important thing I'll ever tell anyone. So...please."

He had never looked at her so directly before. He knew that his emotions were on his face, that his feelings were being reflected in her eyes.

"I...I still have a ways to go. But I promise to tell you, face to face. So when I do...will you hear me out?"

"Yeah. I will," said Kosaki, smiling. "I'll always be there to hear you out."

"Onodera..." said Raku, feeling his heart swell. "Hehe...sorry for getting all serious. It's just...you know, being in here with you made me thin-"

It broke.

It broke into pieces.

The wall behind Ichijou Raku.

Completely disappeared.

Small pieces of debris scattered into the room. Snapped wires and ventilation fluff were dancing in the air. Cool wind rushed into the hidden room, blasting away all the warmth and feelings that had been floating around-

"W-What..."

Destroyed. Something had cut through a section of the school, like a drill piercing to the heavens.


	15. Part Fourteen - Plot Armor

**The Plan**

_Part Fourteen  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>KILL. KILL. KILL.<em>

_I'LL KILL HER._

_I'LL FUCKING MURDER HER!_

Rage. Violence. Madness. Her blood was pumping through her head. Her vision had turned red, focused only on the little girl in front of her.

_KILL HER!_

_KILL! HER!_

She kept seeing Tsugumi's broken body, the blood on her face, the darkness in her eyes, the limpness of her body-

_I need to get her to a hospital-_

_I need to find a way out of here-_

_I need to save Tsugumi-_

None of these thoughts crossed her mind. They were pushed out, banished to the deepest corners by her rage. Tsugumi had been hurt. She might even be dying...or already dead. Chitoge's mind was in shock. It couldn't understand what had happened.

So only her body remained. A body filled with throbbing fury, fixated on just a single goal-

_KILL!_

_I'LL KILL HER!_

"Is that right?"

Step. Step. Step. She was already in front of the girl.

"And how exactly-"

Her fist was balled up, blood streaming from her palm-

"-are you going to kill m-"

Up. UP. UP!

Her fist swung through the air at lightning speed!

The labcoat's eyes widened as she saw the flicker, just the air seeming to shimmer in front of her-

Hm? But she was just talking to Kirisaki Chitoge-

_BOOM!_

It was as if the air exploded. Chitoge's fist smashed into the labcoat girl, the girl's cheeks rippling as the blow lifted her off the ground, head twisting into the air, the ground cracking from the reactionary force pulsing off Chitoge's body.

_CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_

At the last moment, she had slackened her jaw. But even then, she could feel the bone fracturing. She could feel blood spitting out from her gums. But worst of all was the sound. The animal-like roar that came from Chitoge as she beat the girl into the air. It rattled into her heart, as if a tiger had chomped down on her chest.

A blow full of rage. A soul-shattering blow.

But it wasn't enough.

"AAAHHHHHHHHH!"

A second blow. Even before the labcoat girl fell back onto the ground, she was blown higher into the air-

A third blow. Even before she could move more than an inch upwards, she was flying backwards-

A fourth blow. A fifth blow. A sixth blow.

Raining down on her. Chitoge flew through the hallway like a missile, the labcoat girl the nose of the rocket-

"DOOODDGE TO THE SIIDEEEE-!"

The black suits were blasted into the wall as Chitoge and the labcoat girl zoomed past them. From the speeding rush, there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh, dull whumps that escalated into a machinegun barrage.

"AHHH! AHHHH! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

They collided into the opposite wall, but Chitoge didn't stop. She flung fist after fist, siphoning all of her rage into increasing her speed, increasing the number of times she hit this girl. Make her feel the pain that Tsugumi felt, make her feel the pain that she felt, a thousand, no, a billion-fold! Until everything in her mind was released in her fists, until she could reverse time itself with the ferocity of her blows!

Flecks of blood flew into the air. Chitoge was punching so quickly that the resistance of her skin was failing- her bruised fists were now crackling apart, little scratches turning into bloody gashes as she punched, punched, punched, PUNCHED-

Her scream intensified. The black suits couldn't even move because of how strong her killing intent was. They were submerged, pressed down to such an extent that they couldn't even rise onto their feet. The pressure, the emotions blasting from Chitoge, it burned them like a meteor crushing their backs-

Then it hit her. Like a knife, clarity suddenly cut through the blood mist. She felt the strength that she had been using, overusing, wearing out the very limits of her body, disappear. Her fists slowed to a stop and her legs began to shake. Her logical thoughts, her worry for Tsugumi, it all came flooding back in.

_Ow._

_It hurts._

_My hands hurt._

_Tsugumi is hurting too-_

_I have to go get Tsugumi-_

_But what if it's too late?_

_No, she was still breathing-_

_But what if she was just barely breathing? Then that means I left her-_

_I let her die-_

_I killed Tsugumi-_

_No, that girl-_

_It was all that girl's fau-_

_It's my fau-_

_I have to help Tsugu-_

_My hands hu-_

Breathe. She had to breathe. She took in deep breath after breath, her body trembling as her mind overflowed with thoughts. She held her bleeding hands up to her head, clenching her eyes shut, trying to silence everything down-

_Eh?_

_What was I..._

_What am I doing?_

Chitoge opened her eyes. The dust was clearing. In front of her were massive holes in the wall, her blood splattered onto them.

_Huh?_

_But wasn't I just hitting that gi-_

"Finally my turn?"

_WHAM!_

An intense flash of pain from the right side of her head. Her head flung into the wall, nearly snapping her neck in the process. She stumbled against it, tasting iron in her mouth, her vision blurry and her body feeling like the whole world was rocking.

_Ahhh-_

_Who-_

_What just-_

More pain struck her in the chest. Her back crashed into the wall, knocking the air out of her. She coughed up a mixture of spit and blood and sank to her knees.

"Ahh? What's wrong? Haven't hit the wall enough, you bitch!"

The labcoat girl cracked Chitoge's forehead against her knee. Chitoge hit the wall again, then slumped forward, spots in her eyes.

"I thought! You were! Going to! Kill me!" said the girl, kicking Chitoge in the face with each outburst. Chitoge's hands moved on their own, grabbing at the girl's foot after the last kick. But the labcoat girl jerked her foot away, pulling Chitoge forward right into her fist.

Chitoge cried out as she hit the wall a third time. This time, her body crumpled and she laid against the wall, too weak to support herself. The labcoat girl, panting hard, stepped forward and dragged Chitoge up by the hair.

"That's not all, is it? You've got more, way more, much much more left, don't you!?" said the girl, her manic eyes drilling into Chitoge's. "Weren't you mad at me? Weren't you trying to get back at me for tearing up your friend there? Ah? You damn useless bitch!"

The labcoat girl flung Chitoge away. She stepped towards her and began kicking her viciously in the stomach.

"That's why you're just a damn brat! You don't know shit! You can't do shit! You're just a waste of air, you damn shit!" said the girl with each kick. Chitoge coughed as bursts of air were forced out of her. She grabbed at the foot again, but this time, when she was pulled away, Chitoge let her body move along with it.

"GRAHHH!"

She used the momentum from the movement to force her body up and punch the girl in the face. Staggering past her, Chitoge twisted around to hit her again. The labcoat girl stumbled backwards, but then ground her weight into her back leg and pushed forward. She slammed into Chitoge with all her weight and forced her back. As Chitoge tried to regain her balance, the labcoat girl threw herself completely into the air and punched Chitoge again.

"Is that all you've got!?" shouted the girl, fury etched into her face. "I asked you! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT!"

Chitoge was on the ground, her knee and hand down, just barely keeping her up. But now, her eyes were sharp and clear. Pain had forced her back into reality. This wasn't the time to lose her head. Sure, it was fine if she was beating the beansprout or a bunch of goons. But this girl was different. She was on the level of professional hitmen like Claude.

And something about her was off. Escaping from Chitoge's onslaught wasn't a particularly difficult task; after all, Chitoge had literally been blind with rage. However, escaping without being noticed at all by Chitoge, whose entire body had been focused on crushing this girl; that was the mark of high skill.

Little by little, Chitoge's disordered thoughts were coming together. The labcoat girl had definitely been attacking with a level-head in the beginning. Targeting a blow to Chitoge's head to make her disorientated, then attacking in such a way to keep her breathing low. It was a hundred times more effective than disabling limbs. But after that, she had simply attacked rashly, as if her new goal had just been to inflict as much pain as possible on Chitoge. She had gone berserk, just as Chitoge had. But why? Wasn't her purpose to stop Chitoge?

_Actually..._

Who was this girl anyways? What was she trying to accomplish?

They had just attacked the school for no reason. Put everyone in danger for no reason.

What had she said before?

Plot progression?

What was she talking about?

"Hey, you," said Chitoge, looking up at the labcoat girl. The pain was starting to fade, but Chitoge's voice was still shaky. "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

The labcoat girl's face went blank. It was like someone had taken a cloth and wiped all the expression of her face. Every muscle went slack and, for just a moment, she looked like a real little girl, perhaps one that was struggling with a hard math problem.

But then rage entered her face, more intense than before. With her teeth gnashing and her skin drawn taut-

"THAT'S WHY YOU'RE NOTHING BUT SHIT, KIRISAKI CHITOGE!"

The labcoat girl threw a fist at Chitoge. But this time, Chitoge was in control. She used the hand and knee that she had been leaning on to propel her backwards. The labcoat girl's fist hit empty air, but still created a crater in the ground through sheer force.

"What's wrong? Suddenly found a brain, Kirisaki?" said the labcoat girl, stepping out of the crater. Chitoge ignored the taunt and slowly made her way back to Tsugumi's body.

_Ok. Good._

She wasn't in as bad a shape as she thought. The blow to the head might be some cause of concern, but it didn't feel like there was any serious breakage or internal bleeding happening. But this still needed medical attention. Even if everything looked fine, there was no telling how much damage the brain might've suffered from being knocked around in the skull.

Chitoge quickly took out her phone and checked her texts. The beansprout and Kosaki-chan were still fine. So were Ruri and Shu. They seemed to have picked up Marika. From the status updates in the school message feed, Yui was evacuating a couple floors below them.

_Damn it..._

There was no one nearby. And she couldn't take Tsugumi away herself, not without leading this insane brat back to the students. Nor could she just leave Tsugumi here. She had to assume the worst if this girl was out of her mind. And after taking all of those blows, Chitoge wasn't in any state to worry about others during a fight.

_Calm down...stay calm. You've lived your entire life surrounded by the mafia. Crisis is no problem._

Chitoge smiled. It was something like the beansprout would say. Really, just how lovesick was she? To think about that guy during a situation like this...

_Are you an idiot!? Like hell I can sit back while you're getting hurt! Its times like this where the man has to step up for the woman, isn't it?_

Yeah. Something like that. Even though he was a super weak beansprout. Even though he probably couldn't even last ten seconds against one of these black suits. Even though he'd probably be shaking and almost wetting his pants while he stood in front of her, trying to protect her. Stupid. What an idiot. Wasn't he ashamed to look like that? She didn't need protecting. It was the other way around.

But even then...

He'd still...

The labcoat girl attacked again. Chitoge blocked the punch with her arm and flicked upwards. The girl went spinning into the air, unable to control her movement. With the speed and technique of a high school girl, Chitoge began typing in a text with one hand while leaping forward and smashing the girl away with a roundhouse kick.

_I'll leave Tsugumi to you._

Only one person had the speed to get here in time. The flexibility to appear here in an instant for Tsugumi's sake. And someone who would have the knowledge to assess Tsugumi's current condition-

"BLACK TIGER!"

Paula crashed into the hallway through a window with Haru tearfully clinging to her neck.

"Again..." breathed the labcoat girl, shaking. "What the hell...again...?"

"Paula! Take care of Tsugumi!" said Chitoge.

"Damn plot armor...you think I'll let you have your way!" shouted the labcoat girl, dashing forward with such speed that the air displacement sounded like a jet passing by. But Chitoge flung out her arm and caught the girl in a beautiful clothesline.

"I'm sorry, Lady Chitoge! But we can't be sure if Black Tiger has spinal trauma," said Paula, checking Tsugumi's body carefully. "It may be dangerous to move her."

_What?_

Chitoge bit her lip. If that was the case, then...

"I-I'll look after her! Paula-san, please go help Kirisaki-senpai!" said Haru.

"Onodera Haru...you-"

"I'm counting on you, Haru-chan!" said Chitoge, unable to make any other decision. Paula nodded and joined the fray.

"What the hell is this..." said the labcoat girl as both girls charged at her. "I was so close...I broke Tsugumi Seishirou, I was crushing Kirisaki Chitoge, but now..."

The labcoat girl threw a punch with such power that Chitoge and Paula's charge was blown back.

"IT'S STILL NOT ENOUGH!? How far...just how far do I have to go, YOU DAMN PLOT!" roared the girl, the windows and lights shattering from the volume of her voice.

"Paula, from both sides!" said Chitoge.

"Yes, my Lady!"

The two jumped onto the walls to dodge the falling glass debris and leapt into a pincer attack on the girl. But the girl blasted them back to the walls with two swings of her arms. Chitoge and Paula hit and bounced off the walls, tumbling back into the center, where the labcoat girl was ready with another punch.

_BOOM!_

Chitoge and Paul were blown away past Haru, rolling on the ground until they reached the opposite wall. The labcoat girl panted, sweat pouring down her disheveled hair.

"Black suits! Get up now!" said the labcoat girl, wiping her face.

"B-Boss! We're all injured. A lot of us can't even get onto our fee-"

"**Shut your mouth**," said the labcoat girl, her voice bleeding with venom. "**Get. Up.**"

The black suits shivered at the chill in her voice. They staggered to their feet, holding onto the walls for support.

"Well, Kirisaki Chitoge. As expected of the main character. You've done well in getting this far," said the labcoat girl, sweeping her hair back with her hands, stray strands falling back across her eyes. "But this is all very ordinary. Very cliche. Of course, no matter how detrimental, the plot will side with you in the end."

"Like I said before, what are you talking about, you damn brat!" said Chitoge, getting back onto her feet.

"Look at this," said the labcoat girl, spreading her arms out. "Do you see this? I have an army behind me. I've spent years building up my forces to the extent that I could demolish your school in an instant, if I wanted to. My body is stronger than a hitman's, nearing supernatural levels in fact. This is my life's work, this body, this 'Shield of False Love.' I've done everything I could to perpetuate this lie of yours, this cliche-ridden cocktease of a world!"

Chitoge couldn't understand. She was listening carefully, trying to figure out what this girl's objective was, but it was all gibberish to her.

"You don't understand a thing, do you? But of course you don't. That plot armor won't let you. That massive shield that I see right before me, always taunting me, laughing at me safely on that side," said the labcoat girl, her lip curling. "How miraculous! Look! Even a fatal blow to the head by a giant robot isn't enough to kill Tsugumi Seishirou! Because she can't die in this place. None of you can die in this place!"

The labcoat girl pointed at Chitoge with an accusing finger.

"It's as if you've all entered God's territory. Isn't that cheating, huh?" said the labcoat girl, a smirk appearing on her face. "Just how many TIMES DO YOU HAVE TO CHEAT BEFORE YOU'RE SATISFIED!"

"What the hell are you talking abou-!"

"I KNOW YOU DON'T KNOW!" screamed the girl. "There'd be no damn point if you knew! Do you get it, Kirisaki Chitoge? This ridiculous illusion we live in? No, you don't. And that's how perfect it is. That's how perfectly_ I_ have maintained it. And I will continue to do that. I will pour every drop of sweat and blood I have into keeping this world frozen in place."

She stomped her foot and shook her head like an angry toddler.

"Do you hear me!? I won't let any of this end! You guys will continue on this boring, happy-go-lucky life until you fucking die!" said the labcoat girl, her face red and her tiny chest puffing.

"This person has cracked," said Paula, moving in front of Tsugumi's body.

"I know. That's why we have to bring her down," said Chitoge, tightening her stance.

"Right. I'm insane," said the labcoat girl, laughing at the irony of it. Insane for trying to keep insane things from happening to this perfect world. It really was a laugh! "But that's fine. All of it is fine. Just as long as this world does what I want!"

The labcoat girl stepped forward again, her eyes gleaming with emotion-

"I will break that plot armor of yours! You will taste reality! I'll show you that hard work and guts will break down everything that protects you! If you're invincible because you're the main character, then I just have to be as strong as a main character!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT-"

"KIRISAKI CHITOGE, YOU AREN'T IN GOD'S HANDS ANYMORE. YOU'RE IN MIN-"

_BANG!_

A piercing sound. Loud, yes, but that wasn't why. It pierced because it was unnatural. It was unheard of in this school, except in a comical light. But this was not a situation where it would do no damage. This was not a situation where it would miss and everything would go just as things had been.

So it did not miss. It did not fail to damage.

The bullet went straight into Kirisaki Chitoge's chest.

"...Huh?"

Every eye was on Chitoge. She fell back, her beautiful golden hair trailing into the air, like a heavenly spirit being pulled out-

Her body hit the ground with a thud.

"K-Kirisaki-senpai...?"

"My Lady..."

But Chitoge didn't respond to their words. A small trail of smoke floated up from where the bullet had pierced through her uniform.

"Ah..." said Haru, her throat locking up. _What...? Huh? Why? Why...Kirisaki-senpai-_

"Who..." said the labcoat girl, her eyes wide in shock. It hadn't been the black suits. They weren't even looking in her direction. They were all looking back at the stairway, where a new figure was standing-

A bundle of white fell onto the ground, cracked square-framed glasses clattering away from his face. Silver hair. A white suit.

And standing next to the defeated Claude, with a pistol in his hand, was the muscular body of Black Suit #459.

"Ah? What wrong?," said #459, grinning at them. "If you no like, you kill. Right, Boss?"


	16. Part Fifteen - Divine Shield

**The Plan**

_Part Fifteen_

* * *

><p>"Hah? What was that? What did you just say, idiot? What just came out of that fucking shithole you call a mouth, you goddamn idiot!" said the labcoat girl. Kirisaki Chitoge was shot! A bullet straight through the chest!<p>

_WHAT THE FUCK!_

"Hmm? Bitch die. Everything ok, Boss?" said #459, looking puzzled. Words jumbled up inside the labcoat girl's mouth. Her fist clenched and she began shaking with anger.

"Who told you...no...what kind of mental damage did you get to make you even consider for a moment that KILLING KIRISAKI CHITOGE WAS ALRIGHT!?" screamed the labcoat girl.

"Girl troublesome. So kill girl. Everything fine now, right Boss?" said #459, tilting his head.

"NO! NOTHING IS FINE, YOU GODDAMN RETARD!" said the labcoat girl. Her hand was tearing at her hair, her mind unable to understand the stupidity of what she was seeing. "Do you understand what you've done...?"

"Boss mad. Why you mad? I kill girl. Everything ok."

"YOU **CAN'T** KILL KIRISAKI CHITOGE!" said the labcoat girl. "You could've killed anyone else. You could've killed Tsugumi Seishirou. You could've killed Onodera Haru. Any one of those damn fodder characters would've been fine. But Onodera Kosaki and Kirisaki Chitoge, they're glues to Ichijou Raku! THIS WORLD CAN'T MOVE WITHOUT THEM. YOU CAN'T KILL THE PRIMARY PROTAGONIST, YOU FUCKING MORON!"

"Ah? But *uuka did. So it fine, Boss."

_BANG!_

#459 stepped to the side, easily dodging the bullet that whistled past him. He eyed the white-haired girl that had just fired the shot.

"You bastard...I won't forgive you!" said Paula, her face contorting.

"Shut up. Grown-ups talking," said #459. Paula fired two more shots at him, but missed as the muscular black suit dodged again.

"Ah, little girl annoying," said #459. With superhuman speed, the black suit cleared the distance between the two of them in an instant. Paula had just enough time to appear shocked before #459 thrust his fist at her body.

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

The noise was deafening. The force of #459's punch scattered the floor tiles, debris blasting forward like they were in a raging tornado. Paula barely avoided the blow, but she was still blown away, spinning. She twisted her body to stabilize herself and dug her feet into the floor. She slid to a stop at the other end of the hallway, her clothes torn in places from the shrapnel.

"P-Paula-san..." said Haru, her face pale. That was all she could say. One part of her mind was frozen from the shock of Chitoge being shot right next to her. The other was grossly aware of the hulking mountain that had just obliterated an entire hallway, standing just inches to her left.

"MM...feel like blondie," said #459, eyes turning to Haru. "Maybe kill you too?"

Haru's mouth dried up. The fear she felt now was nothing like the fear she had felt when the black suits had been chasing her. Her entire body shut down. Her mind was too afraid to even have a thought.

"#459! I order you to stand down!" yelled the labcoat girl. This was bad. She had known that #459 was strong, but this wasn't just your average musclehead. The destruction that he had caused in just a single hit...it was the force of a monster. All of her senses were shrieking at her to run away.

"Ah? Why? No like any of them, right Boss? So just kill them," said #459.

"STOP SAYING THAT! We were never here to kill them!" said the labcoat girl, desperation in her voice now.

"But you fight blondie. I see, you hate her," said #459.

"No! I didn't...that's not..." said the labcoat girl, fists clenched. No, there was no point getting into it now. She had to take control before the situation got out of hand. "You listen to me. It doesn't matter one way or the other what I was doing. I'm your Boss. You do what I say. Now, stand down!"

"Boss, feel ok? I think Boss not know what important," said #459. The labcoat girl wanted to scream. What was going on? Why the hell was this happening now? Who the fuck was this goddamn idiot that couldn't understand a simple thing like KILLING THE PEOPLE THAT CONTROLLED THE FATE OF THIS WORLD?

"For the last time..._stand down_," said the labcoat girl, her own killing intent rekindling. It washed over the hallway, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

"No, Boss," said #459, laughing. "Because you can't. So I do. That what I'm for."

"Enough. I'm trying to save the world and you're doing the exact opposite," said the labcoat girl, sweeping back her hair again. "So I'll just eliminate you."

"Save world? Wrong, right Boss? You no save world. You _want_ world," said #459. His hand moved over and picked Haru up by the collar of her uniform. She was lifted into the air, hands scrabbling uselessly against #459's grip as she choked. "World fun. Blondie no fun. This girl no fun. We kill them, we only have fun."

"Stop it!" said the labcoat girl.

"No good lie yourself, Boss," said #459, shaking Haru a little. "Be happy, that all. That best."

"You think this is going to make me happy!?" shouted the labcoat girl, crying now as Haru's body flopped around. "I just want this world to keep going! I want them all here! No fighting, no tears, no pain. Just this boring, this carefree cookie-cutter world!"

"Oh. My bad," said #459. He tossed Haru aside with a shrug. She cried out as she hit the wall. "Well, it ok. There other fun stuff."

"Oi. Musclefreak."

One of the black suits walked in front of the labcoat girl, hands in pockets, glaring at #459.

"#320! What are you doing?" said one of the black suits.

"I've got some questions to ask this guy," said #320. "I respect you #211, but don't interfere."

"#320? Senpai, huh? What I do for you?" said #459.

"You're our newest member, aren't you? Did you go to the orientation training sessions?" asked #320.

"Ah? No way. It boring."

"I see. Makes sense. Most of us didn't go either," said #320. "Now, answer this question. Who is the 'best girl' in Bonyari High School?"

"No care," said #459. "Think more fun to break them. What you think, Boss?"

The labcoat girl began to reply, but was silenced by #320's hand. A black suit, silencing the Boss! It was an unprecedented act. It was so unnatural a move that its effectiveness was doubled.

"You know, there's a reason most of us don't bother going to orientation training sessions," said #320. The other black suits had perked up at #459's answer. They began surging forward slowly. They dusted their suits, tore strips to bandage their wounds, and reset their bones with quick snaps. "There's a reason why the Boss doesn't punish us for not going. And that's because the orientation training sessions have a single purpose. This organization has _only one purpose._"

"Ah? What that?"

"LOVE!" roared the black suits in unison.

"WE LOVE THESE GIRLS," said #320, his eyes bulging. "WE LOVE THEM AND THE BOSS LOVES THEM. IT IS BECAUSE WE LOVE THEM THAT WE WANT TO SAVE THIS WORLD! But you...you don't have any love. I don't know how the hell you got into our organization, but without love, you're not a true member!"

"KIRISAKI CHITOGE IS BEST GIRL!"

"ONODERA KOSAKI IS THE KINDEST, WARMEST SOUL YOU'LL EVER FIND!"

"HUGE BOOBS!"

"MARIMARI FACTION, REPRESENT!"

"ALL FOR THE VALENCIA ORANGE!"

"YUI FOR LIFE!"

A clamor rose from the black suits. They drowned the hallway with their professions of love and admiration.

"So tell me this, you damn musclefreak," said #320, his suit flapping in front of the overflowing love coming from his comrades. "Do you have any love in you?"

"Nooooope," said #459, grinning expectantly. #320 took out a radio from the inside of his suit and held it up to his mouth.

"Yeah. We can't let this guy go," said #320, his eyes piercing. "Murder him."

A loud screech of feedback came from the announcement system.

"Ehem. All members of the 'Shield of False Love.' Kirisaki Chitoge was shot by #459. I repeat, Kirisaki Chitoge was shot by #459. He is kill-on-sight."

The announcer paused for a second to take a deep breath.

"FUCKING DESTROY HIM, NOW!"

Rumbling. The entire hallway, no, the entire school began to shake violently.

From every direction, a stream of black suits came in a stampede. Strangled, rage-soaked cries deafened the hallway.

Kirisaki Chitoge was Tsugumi Seishirou's best friend. She was one of Onodera Kosaki's closest companions. She was a rival to Tachibana Marika and a dear friend to Kanakura Yui.

If Ichijou Raku was the one that glued all of these people together-

It was Kirisaki Chitoge that had extended her hand out to embrace them.

No matter their preference-

No matter their favorite girl-

There was not a single black suit that would stay calm upon hearing that Kirisaki Chitoge had been shot.

"KILL! HIM!" shouted #320 as loudly as he could, with every last molecule of breath in his lungs. The reply from the charging black suits seemed to make the air itself shimmer. Leading the charge, #320 launched a flying sidekick at #459.

"Why you mad?" asked #459 as he easily grabbed #320 from the air. He snapped the black suit's leg and threw him away like a rotten branch. More black suits came at him from the side. He smashed one's jaw with his fist, elbowed one into the ceiling, and cracked another's shin with a jerk of his foot. The black suits swarmed over #459, their anger whirling around him like a mist of blood. But #459 did not fall. He walked through the swarm, swatting them aside or disabling them with the air of someone casually browsing a game store.

"GRAHH! Take this!" said one black suit, punching at #459's face. #459 chomped on his fist and swung the black suit's entire body out a window.

"I just having fun," said #459, not even looking as he punched faces, broke bones, and sent blood spraying into the air. "That whole point, right?"

The labcoat girl couldn't speak. He was demolishing them. Taking them apart as easily as he could breathe. Granted, the lower rank black suits were not fully combat-trained. However, there were still many seasoned fighters in the organization and several that were even stronger than she was. Professionals and masters alike. But this person...he was unstoppable.

_What do I do?_

_How do I stop him?_

She had to stop him. She had to. He was going to destroy everything. At this rate, it wouldn't just be Kirisaki Chitoge or Onodera Haru. At his whim, this beast would devour any of the priority targets.

_But...isn't that ok?_

_He's right, you know._

_You don't need all of them._

_Maybe they'll cry a little and be a little sad._

_But as long as Ichijou Raku is there..._

_In fact, this might be better. It'll be more exciting, won't it? More interesting? More unpredictable...it'll be a great change of pace. Yeah, this is good, isn't it? In fact, maybe people would prefer this. Maybe the world will actually live longer because of this. There are precedents. This kind of twist is good enough to make ratings go skyrocketing-_

"Heh. Don't mess with me," said the labcoat girl, her manic expression returning to her face. "If I wanted a world like that, I'd just go to *eo Kouji!"

She barged through the black suits in front of her and yelled at the top of her lungs-

"MOVE, YOU MORONS!"

She raised her foot and hit the floor with a massive stomp. The floor rippled like ocean waves and made #459 lose his footing. The black suits jumped in time with the wave, landing on their feet before #459 could regain his balance.

"NOW!"

The black suits aimed for every single inch of skin they could reach. Their hits made #459 cry out, his entire body smoking from the sheer number of blows.

"AHHHHHH!"

Paula dashed in for the finishing blow, slicing through him with a fierce axe kick. What was left of #459's suit exploded into scraps of fabric and the muscular giant finally fell to his knees.

"Kirisaki-senpai!" shouted Haru as she was carried off to safety by a black suit. But she didn't need to be worried; other black suits had picked up Tsugumi and Chitoge. But then, an explosion from the smoking figure blew them away, sending Tsugumi and Chitoge tumbling back onto the ground.

"GREAT! WE HAVING LOTS OF FUN!" said #459, spinning viciously. Black suits went flying in every direction, crashing through windows, hitting walls- The muscle man had become a hurricane of blows.

"Kh! That still wasn't enough?" said the labcoat girl, her leg bruised and swollen from the impact of her attack.

"Boss! We need you to retreat," said one of the black suits as wave after wave of his comrades were wrecked right in front of them. "Everything's over if you can't lead us!"

"Chitoge-chan!"

Suddenly, a shout came from the end of the hallway. Yui appeared, her hair in a mess from her frantic running. The spinning hurricane was getting closer to Tsugumi and Chitoge.

"Ie!" said Yui. In an instant, the small Char Siu bodyguard dove into the eye of the hurricane, blade flashing-

_CLANG!_

Ie's eyes widened as #459 snapped the blade with two fingers. He grabbed Ie by her head and then smashed her into the ground. Haru was screaming tearfully in the distance. Paula was coming back for another blow, but she was grabbed by the scarf and thrown into the wall. Yui raced forward, but a wave of black suits protected her from the massive chop that flung them all backwards-

Dust was everywhere. Glass shards were falling like sprinkles of snow. The announcement continued, urging more and more black suits to fight #459.

_...SHOT...GE! ...KILL-ON-SIGHT! I REPEAT..._

Her eyes flickered. There was a sound entering her ears. No, many sounds. Dulled and bleeding into one another. Her head was pounding with pain.

_...OGE...#459 HAS SHOT..._

"Ojou..."

"#459 HAS SHOT KIRISAKI CHITOGE!"

Tsugumi Seishirou's eyes ripped open.

"OJOUUUUU!"

#459 came to a halt as Tsugumi's fist plowed into his abdomen. He looked down, pain flashing across his face for the first time. A pistol appeared right in front of his nose.

Tsugumi let out a war cry as she fired the entire clip of bullets into #459's face, her finger pulling the trigger so quickly that the resulting build-up of heat ignited her ammunition. But #459 moved even faster still, tearing out a piece of broken window frame to deflect the bullets and the smoking pistol that Tsugumi slashed at him.

"OOPS!" said #459 gleefully as the scorching pistol spun towards Chitoge's body.

"BASTARD!"

Tsugumi kicked the pistol away and fired with her other pistol, this time aiming at the ceiling. The bullets cut a ring into it and an entire section collapsed on top of #459.

"BLACK TIGER!" called out Paula. As #459 raised his arms to clear the falling debris, both Tsugumi and Paula converged on him, their eyes burning.

"AAHHHHHHH!"

The two roared as white and black met in a spiraling crosscut, a flurry of wind and destruction radiating out from its center.

* * *

><p><em>Hmm...?<em>

_It's so noisy..._

_What happened?_

_What was...I doing?_

_Oh right..._

_I was fighting with that washboard brat..._

_And then..._

She had been shot. She remembered now. That ear-piercing noise, the acrid smell of gunpowder; they were things she had known her entire life. Even worse, she had felt the bullet impact against her chest. That meant she had been hit.

And being hit in the chest meant she was dead.

_I died..._

Perhaps it was because she was in shock. Or perhaps she was still in a stupor from switching from a living breathing body to whatever she was now. But Chitoge couldn't feel much. If anything, she just felt numb.

It was strange really. Maybe she thought she'd be a little more emotional when she died. Especially when she hadn't even graduated high school yet. But then again, it was surprising that she hadn't died before. The fight with the little girl had been brutal. She was sure that, at one point, her body had kept fighting even when she had passed out from pain and exhaustion.

_Heh. I really went all out, didn't I?_

In the end, she'd acted like a real gorilla girl. She could almost hear that beansprout's laughter. No...maybe not. He wasn't the kind of person that'd laugh at that kind of situation. But maybe he'd be exasperated by her actions. He'd shake his head and ask her why she overdid it. Then with that knowing look on his face that irritated her, he'd hold out a hand to help her up.

_Ahh...I just died and I'm still thinking about that guy?_

Lately, it seemed like he'd creep into her thoughts when she least expected it. Guess that's what it was like, being in love. It made her act crazy sometimes. Do stupid things. Being in love was a tiring, embarrassing, stressful thing. But at the same time, it was something that she didn't regret. Feeling warm and content from something small like a smile in her direction. Truthfully speaking, it really seemed stupid. The changes that happened to her as she fell in love with this guy. The expectations she held, the thoughts she had. But she treasured them. She never thought about letting them go, not in her heart anyways.

And maybe she wasn't the only one that felt that way. It felt like it had been a long time ago, but a certain memory came back to her. Being in the classroom with Raku in-between them. The simultaneous exclamation, the realization that had come as she had looked at Kosaki's expression-

_Kosaki-chan..._

_Did she like Raku?_

The question had been pushed to the back of her mind by the events that had happened today. But now that she was dead, she could think about it freely. And to be honest, it troubled her a little. Because she had promised Kosaki that she would support her love. They had promised that together, that one Valentine's day.

_Well...I guess it doesn't really matter anymore. But if Kosaki-chan did like him...then maybe it'll be ok._

For a moment, a nasty thought passed through Chitoge's mind. Kosaki was nice and sincere, one of the few people she knew that was really good-natured at heart. Thinking about it, she fit better with the beansprout. They both had that kind of quality, that self-sacrificing kindness that felt so genuine and special.

Maybe it was for the best that Chitoge had died.

But she immediately discarded that thought. No...even if she had thought it, it was nothing but a lie. She knew, because she could hear them yelling at her. Raku would say something like_ Don't ever say something like that! There's not a single good person that would think something like that about you!_ And Kosaki would say _No, Chitoge-chan! Don't say something so sad...it's not true at all!_

And they would mean every word of it.

Really...they were like a pair. And if Chitoge was still alive, she might consider giving up on Raku for Kosaki's sake.

No. She wouldn't do that. She couldn't do it. And even if she wanted to, she wouldn't. Because that would only hurt Kosaki. It wouldn't help her in any way.

_Sigh. Love is really complicated..._

She wondered if Tsugumi had these kinds of problems. There seemed to be someone she liked too. Did Tachibana Marika think about things like this? She was always being annoying with her love for Raku, but she was so straightforward that, sometimes, Chitoge felt a little jealous. But Raku never took her seriously. She wondered how she'd feel if he treated her like that if she had confessed.

...

She'd probably punch his lights out. But she could totally see it happening. Even though she was in love with him, it didn't change the fact that Raku could be such a dense idiot sometimes. But there were other times where he was pretty sharp and on point. It was really unexpected when he did that, but she had come to realize that he always tried to be considerate, in his own way. It was one of the parts that she loved about him so much.

...

Hmm...

Was that it?

She couldn't really think about anything else to think about it. Of course, there were plenty of things left over. Lots of regrets she had, lots of things she wished she could have told her friends, done with her friends. But she didn't want to think about them right now. It'd only depress her.

In the end, being dead was kind of boring. There were only her thoughts and memories. And if she didn't want to remember and if she didn't want to think, then there really was nothing else to do.

_I wonder if I'll be reincarnated..._

Or maybe there really was a heaven and hell. Was she in limbo? Oh, but there was limbo for reincarnation too, wasn't there...? What would she be reincarnated as? Maybe a dog...like the stray puppy she had taken care of before. Of course, she wouldn't be so ill-mannered. Well...for the most part. She might bite some annoying people. That's what dogs did, wasn't it?

...

Ugh. Look at her. Thinking about life as a dog. Death was really something. Maybe she could become a ghost...yeah. That'd be nice. She could haunt that beansprout. Maybe visit Kosaki-chan or Tsugumi in their dreams. Definitely haunt Marika. Haunt her hard. In fact, she might just haunt her everyday. Yeah, there was an idea! Maybe if she thought really hard about it, it'd work. _Ok, let's haunt Tachibana Marika...turn into a ghost, me..._

"Useless! Everything you do useless! You too weak! All weak!"

Ah? Who was that? That annoying voice...like someone with half a brain was talking...

"You'll pay for shooting Ojou!"

Hm? That sounded sort of like...Tsugumi?

"Black Tiger! Watch out!"

Oh...that was Paula. Ah, she kind of wished she'd gotten along a bit better with Paula. She was cute, like Haru, but they hadn't been as close.

"B-B-Breasts! I see breasts! Oh, look at that wonderful jiggle!"

Huh? What was this now?

"You idiot! Stop ogling at her breasts and help her!"

"I...I can't. They're mesmerizing. I...I think I'm in love. I'm in love with breasts!"

"That's what you said about Hirano Aya, you half-assed Romeo!"

"Hey! This is true love right here!"

"W-What do you think you're looking at!?"

"Oho...as expected of Black Tiger's weapons of mass destruction..."

"P-Paula! What are you saying!"

"Ah? Big boobs? Good job! Let see!"

"G-Get away from me, you bastard!"

"AH! Keep your hands off Black Tiger's national treasures!"

"THAT BASTARD! HE SHOT KIRISAKI CHITOGE AND NOW HE WANTS TO MONOPOLIZE TSUGUMI SEISHIROU'S TITS!?"

"WHHHAAATTT!? THAT'S UNFORGIVABLE, YOU SON OF A BIIITCCH!"

...Seriously. She had just died a couple minutes ago. Was this really the sort of conversation they should be having-

"HURRY, TSUGUMI SEISHIROU! POP THOSE KNOCKERS OUT AND DISTRACT HIM SO WE CAN DELIVER THE FINAL BLOW!"

"BOSS! YOU FINALLY UNDERSTAND US!"

"Shut up, you idiots! This is for saving the world!"

"For a boob-hating person like Boss to actually request help from boobs...this is really a high-level battle!"

"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY BREASTS!"

Kh...these guys...

"HAHA! SHOW! SHOW! WEAKLINGS, I BE FIRST LOOK!"

"STOP THAT BASTARD! STOP HIM NOW! THIS IS A MATTER OF INTERSTELLAR IMPORTANCE!"

"Wait, the stakes rose that high!?"

"Hurry, Black Tiger! Just flash a little and he'll be blinded by those superweapons!"

"P-PAULA!"

"Tsugumi-senpai...you're really amazing..."

"O-Onodera Haru! You too!?"

_These guys..._

"AHHHH! THE BUTTONS CAME OFF! OH MY GOD, THEY'RE BULGING!"

"OW! MY EYE! MY EYEEEE! NOOO! I CAN'T SEE THE BOOOBS!"

"NOOO! Don't look!"

"Oh my, Tsugumi-chan~ you really grew since you were younger..."

_Stop it...stop..._

"SEISHIROU RADAR ACTIVATED! I CAN SEE IT! Such blinding brilliance! Those are truly sacred globes from a higher dimension, the plane of angels!"

"Maiko-kun. It seems like you're wasting those eyes of yours, so I'm sure you don't really need them..."

"Ah? Ruri-chan? That's a scary face...wait...where are you aiming those fingers at-!?"

"B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BBBBB-BBBRR-B-B-BBRRBREAAA-AAAGGHHH-"

"Oh no! #255 is having a stroke! All the blood has left his brain and gone straight to his-!"

"BOOOBBS. SHOW BOOBS. SHOOOOWWW!"

_STOP IT!_

_STOOOOOOOPPP IT!_

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP ITTTTTTTTTT!"

Everything came to a standstill. The strangeness of the scene stopped everyone in their tracks.

A streak of strawberry blonde hair-

A red ribbon bow shaped like rabbit ears-

Rising from the debris-

Beautiful, elegant form-

After the event, a black suit would recall that it had been like seeing a white dragon emerge from the Earth, barreling up skywards. A ferocity that quelled even time itself until it stood immobile before its might.

Kirisaki Chitoge-

Rose from the dead-

Her fist drilling into #459, blasting him up, up, up towards the heavens!

"N-No...How can that be..."

The labcoat girl watched in astonishment. Watched as the hulking wall of muscle was launched through the ceiling, through the next floor's ceiling, through the ceiling after that-!

_Hah...haha...that..._

Tears began to fall from her eyes. They dripped down her cheeks, like new rivers of hopes and dreams. It shone like a tool of God on her chest, that amazingly bright shield, that shield that encompassed her so completely and with such range that it filled the hallway with it-

_Damn...plot armor!_

#459's yell was heard through every floor as he accelerated upwards. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Nothing stopped his ascent. The power of Kirisaki Chitoge was pushing him to the very depths of space!

_CRAAAAASSHH!_

His body shot through the roof. It tore through an entire piece of Maiko Shu's secret hiding spot underneath the tiles. Ichijou Raku and Onodera Kosaki watched in utter shock as the muscle man rose into the blue sky.

Then-

He-

Began to fall-

"GGGUUAAAHHHH!"

Fast! FASTER! HIS BODY HURDLED BACK DOWN TO THE EARTH LIKE A DIVINE SPEAR-!

He fell through every single one of the holes he had made. He hit the destroyed floor back in the hallway, falling even further down through more ceilings, crashing all the way to the bottom of the school-

And it exploded. The entire bottom floor exploded from the impact, blasting windows, blasting doors, expelling dust and debris out in rolling waves to the evacuated students outside.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY TSUGUMI'S BOOBS!" shouted Chitoge to the heavens. She panted, sweat and hair streaked across her face.

Nothing was said.

Nothing could be said.

For at that very moment-

Kirisaki Chitoge had single-handedly achieved victory.

* * *

><p>"Chitoge-chan!"<p>

"Kirisaki-senpai!"

"Ojou!"

"Lady Chitoge!"

The four girls ran over and hugged Chitoge. She immediately began feeling pain on every inch of her body.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! It hurts!" said Chitoge, squirming under their hug.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, Ojou! The bullet wound-!"

"Huh? Oh no...I'm just bruised all over," said Chitoge, rubbing her arms.

"But Ojou...you were shot..."

"That's right! It hit me right...huh?" Chitoge blinked as she felt something where her chest should've been.

"Ah...that's Ichijou-senpai's..." said Haru, recognizing the golden object.

"That...beansprout..." said Chitoge, a smile growing on her face. The pendant shone from the light that was passing down through the hole in the ceiling. "Even when he's not here..."

"Indeed. It's ridiculous. That 'armor,' you have."

The girls' changed to battle mode as they heard that voice. The labcoat girl and the black suits were approaching them.

"You still want to fight?" said Chitoge, raising her fists. She winced as pain lanced through her arms.

"Heh. No, I've lost," said the labcoat girl, her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "It's all too much for me. This ridiculousness."

"Huh? You showed up here and wrecked half of our school!"

"And you wrecked the other half," said the labcoat girl, smiling. "I'm not going to deny the things that have happened today, Kirisaki Chitoge. But this was for the sake of the world's safety."

"That again...what are you talking about!?"

"Hmph. I don't know," said the labcoat girl, turning away with a flap of her coat. "My eyes have been opened today. Perhaps things aren't how I saw them in the past anymore. In any case, it's your win today, Kirisaki Chitoge. Perhaps we'll meet again...on a better battlefield..."

The labcoat girl walked right into Yui's ample chest.

"Hmm~ I don't think so," said Yui with a frightening smile on her face. "I think you need to give us an explanation, young lady."

"W-What...how dare you talk to me like that! I'll have you know that I'm already t-"

The army of black suits ran over and hastily covered her mouth.

"We're terribly sorry! Big mistake!"

"Yeah, we screwed up. We're Special Forces, you see-"

"And we had a mission here that got a bit out of hand-"

"Our boss is really enthusiastic you know, but no common sense. We're terribly sorry and we'll pay for all the damages and repairs-"

"Of course, we'll also go into negotiations for a temporary school to be used for students while repairs are underway-"

"And we'll compensate students for any trauma they may have experienced-"

"Please take our card. It really was for necessary circumstances, but we handled it quite badly. Feel free to talk to our supervisors about this-"

"And we'll be on our way."

"Goodbye!" yelled all the black suits as they raced out of the school with the labcoat girl tied up and held up over their heads.

"...What just happened?" said Chitoge. None of the four girls had an answer.

* * *

><p>"Agghh...that really hurt."<p>

#459 was collapsed on top of a mound of debris. He lifted himself up into a sitting position and massaged his jaw.

"Jeez. That Beehive girl is really something. If it hadn't been me, she would've killed someone."

He stretched the tendons on his neck and got to his feet. Well, it had gotten more rowdy than he had expected. But it looked like everything had worked out.

"I hope Tachibana-sama is happy with this..." Well, in any case, he had done his best. Now...it was time for him to get out of here before those black suits caught up with him-

_RUMBLE!_

_RUMBLE!_

An enormous tank pulled up to #459. Standing behind it were an army of scary-looking yakuza.

"Oh? Black suit, huh? Just like Bocchan's friend said in his message. So you're one of those bastards that's been causing trouble for Bocchan."

"Huh? Wait a second...you guys are Shuei-gumi..."

"YOU DARE ATTACK BOCCHAN IN THE PLACE OF HIS GLITTERING YOUTH!?"

"N-No! Wait a second! You don't understand! Let me explain-"

"ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS! NO MERCY! WE'LL SHOW THOSE BEEHIVE BASTARDS THAT WE CAN USE THEIR TANK BETTER THAN THEY CAN!"

"No...NO! NOOOOOOO!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **One more chapter to go! You don't want to miss this shocking epilogue, coming later this week!_


	17. FINAL - First Half

**The Plan**

_FINAL_

_First Half_

* * *

><p>Ichijou Raku felt oddly content. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that right now, at this very moment, the level of comfort he was experiencing had no equal; past, future, alternate dimensions- there was no way that he would ever again, in any lifetime, feel as amazingly good as he did right now.<p>

Why was that? Well it was obvious why. After all, he was in the middle of something that could be considered an otherworldly experience. The number of people that would glady trade their house, their cars, their entire life savings just to switch spots with him could very well be the whole population of Japan, no, wait, the entire world!

For right now, Ichijou Raku was receiving a lap pillow from Onodera Kosaki.

Heaven's privilege! That's what it was. It was every single drop of luck that his body had ever been granted with, used up, right here! This unrivaled softness. A light heat against his cheek. A fresh scent that reminded him of mellow strawberries. A calm, motherly-like aura that warmed him up from the inside-out. He was soothed, his body was melting in the light of this astonishing event.

Her hand lightly brushed against him.

"You had something on your face." It was Kosaki! Such a sweet, tender voice. It made his heart skip a beat!

"O-Onodera...are you really ok with me lying on your lap?"

"Hm?" She giggled a little and looked down at him. "Why wouldn't I be ok with it, Raku-kun?"

_RAKU-KUN!?_

"O-Onodera! W-What...that's..."

"Ah...do you not like it? I just thought about trying it out...since you know..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Know? Know what!? What sort of reason would she have for calling him so intimately!?

"Meanie...don't make me say it..."

"Huh?" That was all that Raku could say. His brain was turning to mush from cuteness overload. Was this really the Onodera Kosaki he knew?

"Don't tease me so much..."

"N-No! I really don't know what you're talking about, Onodera!"

"Eh? What do you mean?" said Kosaki, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. "It almost sounds like you weren't serious..."

Serious? About what? What was going on!?

"Sorry Onodera...but...what are you talking about?"

"You're so cruel, Raku-kun," said Onodera. But her tone was playful. She leaned down until her hair was falling over Raku's face and her lips were hovering over his ear. "We're going out, aren't we?"

_..._

_Huh?_

_Huh?_

_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT!?_

When!? How!? W-Where!? The questions kept piling up inside Raku's head. Was this for real? W-Wait a minute. Think back. Think back, Ichijou Raku. What exactly had his past self done to bring about this situation that was powerful enough to warp spacetime itself!?

_We were running from black suits..._

_Then we met Shu and Miyamoto..._

_Ah right. That guy...he left us up there...kuuuuu, I don't know if I want to hit him or hug him! Alright, moving on..._

And then they had been in the hidden space. Cramped up and touching each other everywhere. Raku's face turned red as he remembered those scenes. Aha, those were very nice too...damn it Shu! Where was he? Where was that bastard? He deserved a big bear hug!

And finally they had gotten into that enviable position. Uwoooo! Raku wanted to be back in that position again! Not that he would give up this prime spot in Kosaki's lap, but he wished he could do both things at once! If only there were two of him! Or rather, that'd be awful, because then he'd get jealous of himself!

Wait! Was it that time? Something...he made some kind of resolve then. It felt almost like the beginnings of a confession. Maybe that had been it! Maybe at that moment, wrapped up in the mood, he had blurted out his feelings to Kosaki-

_R-Really? I did that? Go, past me!_

And she had accepted. That was it! She had accepted!

SHE HAD ACCEPTED.

ONODERA KOSAKI LIKED HIM BACK.

SHE WAS...

SHE WAS...

Raku's brain exploded. He couldn't process this. A dream! It had to be a dream! It had to be one of those delusions that he always had at home! Right, maybe they had run out of air in the hidden space. Maybe he had suffocated and fainted in that box. But wait...that'd mean Kosaki fainted too! What was he doing!? Having delusions while Kosaki was dying in an airless box!?

"Raku-kun? How is it?"

"Uhuu...Onodera, don't die..."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Onodera, can you pinch me? Right in the cheek?"

"Uhm...ok." Her soft fingers squished his cheek. She pulled lightly making it feel more like she was fondling his cheek than actually pulling it.

"Ifh hurfs," said Raku.

"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"It hurts..."

_IT HURT._

_THAT MEANT-_

"Onodera!"

"Y-Yes?"

Raku had sat up. He had given up that prime spot on Kosaki's lap. Because this was more important. This revelation, this impossible fantasy coming true-

"A-Are you my girlfriend?" said Raku, holding Kosaki by her shoulders. She looked at him with a cute, confused expression.

"Y-Yes...?" said Kosaki, not knowing exactly how to answer. _WHACK!_ A hard jab right to the kisser! Raku keeled over, his heart unable to take the lethal injection that had just burst into his chest.

"I...I asked you out? And you said yes?"

"Y-Yes...?"

"And we're dating? We're together? We can hold hands and kiss and stuff-"

"Ah...uhm...wa..." Kosaki held her hands up to her flushed cheeks. "I...Yes...we can..."

Raku's face also turned red as he realized what he had just said. The adrenaline that had been pumping through his body settled and he felt his body start to relax. So it was true. He had confessed. And she had returned his feelings back to him.

Raku dropped back onto Kosaki's lap.

"Wah! R-Raku-kun?"

"This...this can't be true. Even if it hurts, it still has to be a dream! Something incredible like this..." Raku hugged Kosaki's lap. He pressed his face into it, not wanting to let go.

It couldn't be true. He didn't want to raise his expectations. If this all turned out to be a dream, a delusion, he'd be a broken man. It'd be a prank worthy of the Devil! So he'd just cling to his prime spot for now. Just rest his head here, pretend for a few minutes...that it was ok...

"Raku-kun? You're crying..."

"Sniff...s-sorry, Onodera. I...Damn it..."

Kosaki smiled. She patted his head and let him cry. How long had Raku loved her? How many years had he been wishing for a moment like this? It was too much...his heart couldn't bear it. Living in a home full of yakuza, Raku had been raised with the values of a man. He had always tried to live up to the standards of a real man, of someone that didn't make excuses, that grit his teeth when it counted and took action. The kind of person that wouldn't let a woman cry, a person who kept every promise he made. He was still lacking...in a lot of those parts...but it was still shameful. That for someone who aimed to be a real man, to be crying in a girl's lap like this.

But it was...It was just unfair!

"Raku-kun?"

"Sniff...hm? What is it, Onodera?" Raku tried to dry his eyes sneakily.

"I'm really happy right now," said Kosaki, leaning over so that her face was touching his. Her arms came around and hugged him. "I'm so happy."

"-gh- #$ #$-!"

Raku's mouth stopped working. His body shut down. Deadly! Scary! This was so dangerous! To think that Onodera Kosaki possessed such dangerous weapons!

"I love you, Raku-kun."

One phrase. It was one phrase. But it was a bomb. It was an exploding star. A hypernova! Raku felt like his vision went completely white! Wait, wait! Had those words just killed him!? Did he just die from the potency of those words!? No, no, no! He couldn't die! Not now! He had yet to say his piece, he had to be a man and say the words he had always wanted to say to her-!

"Wait...no, wait! I...I love you too, O-!"

"Hah!?"

The white receded. Slowly, blurry figures appeared in his vision. They became clearer and more sharp. He saw something gold glinting in his face.

Blonde hair, blue eyes. A red ribbon shaped like rabbit ears.

A face that was just as red as that ribbon.

"W-What are you saying!?" said Chitoge, steam bursting from her ears.

"H-Huh? C-Chitoge? But wait a second, wasn't I just talking to-"

Pounding! That pain in his head, it throbbed with such intensity! He leaned back down and felt his head hit something soft. Ah...that was better. Back in his prime spot. This felt good. What was this again? Right, Onodera's coveted lap pillo-

NO!

NO, THIS WASN'T ONODERA'S LAP PILLOW!

THIS WAS A FAKE!

A PHONY!

"This isn't real!" yelled Raku, jumping out of Chitoge's lap. "Y-You imposter!"

"What! What's wrong with you! I was even nice enough to let you rest on my lap!" said Chitoge, bright red now out of some strange feeling of shame. What was this guy's problem!?

"Y-You! What are you doing, being a cheap knock-off!" said Raku, still drowsy. How could this be? That unparalleled softness, that amazing sensation...it had been Chitoge all along!?

_Ah._

_Wait._

His body went on full alert. It knew this pattern. It had an instinct for this kind of thing-

"You..."

Rumbling. The air was rumbling!

"YOU STUPID BEANSPROUT!"

_WHAM!_

And once again, Ichijou Raku went flying into the air.

* * *

><p>"S-Sorry, ok? But even if you were half-asleep, you were still being a jerk..." said Chitoge, unable to look Raku in the eye.<p>

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I was asking for it," said Raku as he was being treated by Yui. Luckily, she had brought along a first-aid kit after the evacuation, in case there had been any injured students. She took out a cold pack and shook it, then applied it on Raku's head.

Everyone had gathered on the rooftop. After the battle had ended, Shu had explained to everyone where Raku and Kosaki had been hiding. However, since Chitoge had blasted a hole straight through the roof, they had been a little worried.

"Honestly, it's very much like Kirisaki-san to do that," said Marika. For some odd reason, the mention of Chitoge potentially blowing a psychotic muscleman into Raku had woken her up instantly. She had been the one that had forced everyone up to the rooftop to check on the situation. Of course, Shu's mention of Raku being with Kosaki all alone in a hidden space had made her break out into an insane sprint.

"It all turned out ok, so it's fine, isn't it!" said Chitoge. In the end, the worst damage hadn't actually come from Chitoge herself. It had been from #459's shoe, which had smacked Raku in the head while he had been helping Kosaki out of the space. "At least he didn't get amnesia this time! Right, Kosaki-chan?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah...that's right..."

"...Kosaki-chan? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? N-No! Nothing's wrong!" said Kosaki, quickly flashing a smile. _Ah...I should've given Ichijou-kun a lap pillow...This is the second time! Auu, why didn't I just put his head on my lap..._

"In any case, I'm just glad you're alright, Raku-sama. No thanks to this hussy here," said Marika, hugging Raku tightly. Chitoge's eye twitched uncontrollably.

"Hold your tongue, Tachibana Marika! If it wasn't for Ojou, none of us would be safe and sound right now," said Tsugumi, bristling. "She even took a bullet shot to the chest in that battle-!"

"T-Tsugumi! Shh-"

"What!? You got shot, Chitoge?"

"Nnng..." Chitoge tried to look nonchalant. This was why she hadn't mentioned it. Raku was looking at her with extreme concern. Although it made her happy that he was so worried about her, it was also kind of annoying sometimes. "I'm fine! It didn't hit me."

"Are you sure? Where did you get shot? You need to get checked for injuries," said Raku, starting to poke and prod her body.

"I don't need- haha, don't- hahaaa- STOP TOUCHING ME, YOU IDIOT!"

A second cold pack was given to Raku.

"I'm fine!" said Chitoge, holding out the pendant. "See?"

"Wait...is that a hole in..."

"Ah..." started Chitoge, realizing her mistake. "It's your fault for dropping it...I mean...it really saved me...I mean..."

With a cascade of blonde hair, Chitoge bowed her head before Raku.

"I'm really sorry! I got your pendant damaged..."

"Uh..." started Raku, thrown-off by the sudden apology. But then he smiled wryly and took the pendant from her. "Well, it's fine, I guess. Since it did save you from the bullet."

"You're not mad at me...?"

"Of course not. I'm just glad you're not hurt," said Raku, looking at her seriously. "This pendant's important to me, but you're more important."

There it was. Classic Raku. Saying such things at the drop of a hat. From his expression, she could tell that he wasn't even considering the deeper meaning of those words. Chitoge sighed and tried to hide her embarrassment.

"But it got shot, huh...?" said Raku a little mournfully. Although he lost the pendant frequently, he still kept good care of it. And it was a treasured piece from his childhood that linked all of them together. Now there was a big, gaping hole in the center of it. "I wonder if Shu's relative could fix this..."

Raku held the pendant up to his face to examine it.

Then-

The front of the pendant-

Fell off.

It landed on the ground with a small _clink!_ Everyone's eyes widened as something fell from inside of the pendant and landed on the ground.

"I-It..." said Raku, staring with his mouth open at the broken pendant.

"Wait a second. Did that really just..." said Chitoge with a similarly shocked face.

"I-Ichijou-kun's pendant..."

"It's open," said Tsugumi, just as astonished as everyone else. Paula and Haru looked at them with confusion on their faces. What was the big deal with the pendant opening?

"Onee-chan, what's going on? Isn't that just a trinket from when he was a kid?" said Haru.

"H-Haru. T-This is...Awawawa-" Kosaki was breaking down. The pendant! It was open! The promise that they had all made! Right there, on the ground!

Marika was the first to bend over and pick it up.

"W-What are you doing!?" said Chitoge.

"Obviously giving it to Raku-sama," said Marika. For some reason, she seemed a little sad as she passed Raku the object. "It's his, after all."

It was a folded-up piece of paper. Everyone crowded around Raku to look at it.

"This...This is it?" said Raku, feeling a little underwhelmed. Ten...no, eleven years ago, they had all made a promise over the contents of the pendant. A promise that when they met again, a key would unlock the pendant and they would take out what was inside. _Zawsze in love._ Forever in love. And then they would get married-

And the question had always been-

Who was the promised girl?

Who had been his first love?

This piece of folded-up paper, this was the biggest clue he had to that identity. He gulped, fingering the edges of the paper. But then, he noticed that all of the girls were looking at him.

Raku sighed. No, this wasn't right. It had been a promise. Doing it like this...it felt wrong.

"You guys, I know we're curious, but I think it's best if we-"

The girls snatched the paper away from him before he could finish.

"Aa~ah. I know what you're going to say, but..." said Chitoge, holding the paper. She glanced at Kosaki out of the corner of her eye. Then Tsugumi. And Marika.

She knew now. They all loved Raku. This wasn't something that she could just sweep under the rug. If this item was put back in the pendant, then they would just go back to their regular days.

Lying to each other.

Trying to hide their knowledge.

Being sneaky and under-handed.

No. That was the worst. It would hurt more to have to continue on like that then knowing who Raku's first love was.

So Chitoge made the decision. They would find out here. They would get over this hurdle once and for all.

"No dice. We're going to see what was inside," finished Chitoge. She began unfolding the paper. Raku started to say something, but stopped. He wasn't prepared for it. Yui had asked him the question before. If who he loved would change depending on the identity of the promised girl.

For the first time, Raku suddenly became aware of the situation he was in. A fake girlfriend that he had to continue dating for another year. The girl that he loved that wasn't his girlfriend. A girl that was in love with him, but that he never took seriously.

_Can we go back from this?_

As Raku thought that, Chitoge finished unfolding the paper. Everyone leaned forward to look. Raku steeled himself and joined them.

_Huh?_

_This is..._

"Ah..."

Tears began to fall from Marika's face. An expression that could have only been on a child's face appeared. She looked up at Yui, those pure, innocent eyes filled with water.

"This is..."

"Yes, Marika-chan. That's how it is," said Yui, smiling.

"Ah...ah...so it was like that..." said Marika, crying uncontrollably. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they were streaming down, coating her hands, falling in fat drops onto the ground. "Ahh...I'm an idiot...I'm an idiot..."

Marika fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. Chitoge and Raku blinked, unable to figure out what had caused Marika to react like this.

"But this is..."

"Yeah...this is just..."

'That's right, Raku-chan," said Yui, putting a hand on Marika's shoulder. "It's just that."

In Chitoge's hands, there was the final page of a certain children's storybook.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **It was turning out longer than expected, so splitting into two parts! Focusing on finishing the second part, so excuse any really noticeable grammar errors, will fix them up afterwards!  
><em>


	18. FINAL - Second Half END Afterword

**The Plan**

_FINAL_

_Second Half_

* * *

><p>"Stupid Rakkun..."<p>

Eleven years ago, a five-year old Tachibana Marika was sitting in bed, wiping her eyes. Just a moment ago, a boy named Ichijou Raku had come through the window to visit. Marika had a frail body and so her father had brought her to this home in the mountains to give her a fresh, clean environment to rest in. However, being stuck in bed in the mountains...as peaceful and relaxing as it was, it was also boring. Raku had changed that. He had been climbing a tree to explore this house and they had met.

It was fun. Being with Raku. He wasn't like her other friends, who had made half-hearted attempts to visit, but then stopped coming altogether. He always brought things for her from his adventures in the mountains. He would tell her about all the things he did, like running down hills, investigating dark caves, and splashing in the river. Through Raku, Marika could see the world outside again. She could run through the wind and feel sweet exhilaration instead of exhaustion.

When he came to visit, it was always with a smile. When she didn't feel like taking her medicine, he would scold her and tell her that it was important. That she needed to get better so that they could play more together. With her father and guards in the house, Marika felt a suffocating atmosphere. Although her father treated her gently, it was with the air of someone handling a fragile doll. Every single action was filled with worry and even someone as young as Marika could notice. Because of that, she felt uncomfortable whenever the adults came to talk with her. It was only with Raku that she could feel at ease.

Recently, her father had asked if she liked Raku. She had thought about it, in passing moments, but hearing it so bluntly, out in the open, it had made her want to hide her face under the covers. Yes, she probably did like him. Like those stories that Raku told her with princes and princesses. She felt like one, stuck in a castle in the middle of nowhere, just waiting to be saved. And he had come, right through the window, bringing a bag full of goodies that they could both enjoy. Maybe one day, when she was strong enough, he could whisk her away from the castle and they could live happily ever after.

But...for some time now, there had been new people in Raku's stories. New girls that were out there with him, running with him, laughing with him, while Marika was stuck in her bed. She tried not to think about them though. Because then she felt bitter and jealous. Her small hands would tighten and she would feel so small, so far away from Raku. But then she'd look up and see him, right there in front of her, chatting away as usual or playing with some toys he had brought. He would look up at her and, with a big smile on his face, ask her to join in.

And she would stop thinking about those girls. Because right now, at this moment, she had Raku all to herself. She had to make the best of it because Raku would not stay here forever. He was only here temporarily like her. And if they ever parted, then she had to make sure that he wouldn't forget her. That she'd be in his heart until they grew up and could find each other again.

Girly girls with long hair. Like princesses. That was what Raku had told her he liked. It was hard, but she was trying to change herself. To fit into the image of Raku's ideal girl. Everyday, when Raku wasn't there, Marika would sit in front of the mirror and try talking more delicately, more girly-like. Every once in a while, she'd try talking to Raku that way, but Raku would just look at her, puzzled, and ask why she was talking so weird.

She had a lot of work to do. But Marika could do it. Because she truly did like Raku. Perhaps...even loved him.

But then they had met. One day, Marika was feeling very good. The doctor had suggested that she be allowed to play outside, to get exercise and fresh air. Her father had talked with Raku's father and they had agreed that they could watch over Marika today.

"Rakkun! They say I can play all I wan' today!" said Marika. She was running outside for the first time in weeks. Although her limbs quickly burned from the effort, it was a pleasant burn. She breathed in the crisp air and laughed as she whirled around.

"That's great!" said Raku, taking her hand. "Let's go play with the others!"

"Yeah!"

Evil grin.

Yes, they were going to meet today. Those other girls. Marika had been planning for this day. She was in her best condition. If there was ever a time to strike, it could only be now!

She'd show up and play. They would all have fun. But little by little, Marika would show them who was the real contender here. There was only room for one love in Raku's life and she intended to be that one.

_Hmph! I won' let ya take my Rakkun away. I'll show dem what a real lady's like!_

Finally, it was time for all her practice to come together. Maybe Raku would be a bit confused at why she was acting so differently, but she'd win him over. She'd act elegantly like a real princess. Her hair still wasn't very long, but whatever! As long as she had the mindset. Besides, these girls were always running around the mountains with him. How ladylike could they be?

"Ah, Raku! You're late!"

"Raku-kun..."

"Hm? Who's that, Raku-chan? A new friend?"

Huh? Huuuhh!? What...how could this be!?

Who were these girls!? One had long, blonde hair and beautiful brown eyes! A foreigner? And such white skin! She was a princess! A real princess!

And the other girl...she looked so small and gentle. She was smiling kindly at her. That kind of expression...even more than Raku! Who was this person? Like an angel, a real angel!

And last, the older girl. Black hair and the feel of an older sister. Was this Raku's sister!?

_W-Why...?_

So high-level! The hurdles in front of her were amazing! Marika couldn't believe it. Compared to them...compared to them she was...

"This is Mari! The one I've been telling you about," said Raku, grinning. He pulled Marika over into the group.

"Ehh~ This is Marika-chan? So cute," said Yui, looking at her closely.

"Hi, Marika-chan," said Kosaki shyly. "Uhm...I'm Onodera Kosaki..."

"I'm Kirisaki Chitoge! You can call me Chitoge if you want!" said Chitoge, bouncing up to Marika. "Hey, how are you feeling? I heard you were sick."

"I'm...feelin' better today," said Marika, taken back by the sudden start in conversation. She closed her mouth shut, realizing that she hadn't changed her way of speaking.

"Hm? Feelin'?" said Chitoge curiously. Marika blushed. Darn it. Darn it! A screw-up already! Not to mention against this person who had started with an advantage...this princess-like girl...

"Isn't it cool? She kinda talks like the guys at home," said Raku.

"Huuh? No, she doesn't. She talks like my guys," said Chitoge, shaking her head.

"What are you talking about? Your guys talk completely differently," said Raku, frowning.

"Your guys talk all old-like!" said Chitoge, glaring back.

"D-Don't fight!" said Kosaki, getting in-between the two of them.

"Come on, you guys. Don't act like that when we're just meeting with Marika-chan," said Yui, knocking the two of them lightly on the head.

"Sorry Yui-nee..."

"It's Raku's fault..." said Chitoge, puffing her cheeks. Yui knocked her on the head again.

"Chitoge, don't point fingers."

"...Ok. Sorry."

Marika wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but it seemed like they didn't care too much about her accent. But most importantly of all, none of these girls seemed to look at Raku as a boy! Marika's inner self grinned. They were immature. That explained it all. Maybe her only competition was the older sister there. But since she was his sister, she could ignore her.

Maybe things weren't as bad as she thought.

"It's nice to meet you all. Please take care of this little old me," said Marika, bowing her head. Hah! Perfect! Just like a real lady!

"Huh? Why are you talking so weird, Mari?" said Raku.

"Yeah, don't you mean 'meetcha?'" said Chitoge, looking equally clueless. Marika felt her eye twitch. This girl...she could already tell that she was going to have bad blood with this girl.

"I-It's nothin'," said Marika, deciding to drop princess-speak. It was hard for her to keep up with and it didn't look like it was making much of an impression anyways. It looked like she still had a lot of work to do.

"Well, whatever. Let's go play!" said Raku, running off.

"Ah! Hold on, Raku!" said Chitoge, chasing him.

"W-Wait for me!"

"Let's go, Marika-chan! We have to catch up!"

Yui took her by the hand and pulled. Marika almost tripped because of how sudden the movement was, but her legs quickly found their footing. She raced along with them, out onto the hills. They took off their shoes and ran around, the grass soft underneath their feet. The sky was blue and the sun was warm and bright. They rolled down the hill, their faces becoming streaked with dirt, and laughs filling the air.

For a few, breathless hours, Marika forgot about being a proper lady. She forgot about her jealousy towards the other girls and her feelings for Raku. She forgot about her frail body and the loneliness of the house.

The energetic Chitoge. The gentle Kosaki. The sisterly Yui.

And Raku, charging ahead of them all.

On that day, Tachibana Marika just played. She lost herself in the joyful sparkles of her childhood.

And it continued onto the night. They took a bath together and talked. Chitoge told them about how Raku had saved her from a vicious dog. Kosaki told them about her little sister back at home. They all asked Marika questions, like where she got her accent from and what her dad was like.

And eventually, the time came where Raku had to take Marika back home. They passed by another boy who was entering the bath and got dressed.

"Did you have fun today, Mari?" asked Raku as they walked back to the house.

"...Yeah. It was fun," said Marika. Although she didn't want to admit it, she hadn't wanted to leave everyone. It was the most fun that she had in a long time. Everyone was so nice and vibrant. Yes, it was a lot like taking a bath. Feeling that initial shock of uncomfortable heat; but then she would melt into a pleasant, relaxing warmth and just float for a few minutes. Then that time would end and she would get out, feeling cold and a little regretful as she toweled off.

She didn't want the day to end. But they were already at her home now. Raku was saying he'd come visit again, maybe with Yui next time. And then he was turning and leaving with the escort-

"Rakkun!"

"Hm?" He turned around.

"We gun play again, ok? For sure!"

He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yeah!"

But a day like that never happened again. Because Marika's condition worsened. She was back in bed, forbidden from leaving the house.

Raku still came to visit. Just like he promised, he brought Yui with him sometimes. They were happy times, the three of them playing together. But when they left, when Marika was all alone in her room-

They could be together whenever they wanted. Yui, Kosaki, Chitoge, and Raku. They could play whenever they wanted, talk whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted. It was only Marika that was confined to a bed. Stuck in this room. Forcing them to visit her, never the other way around.

And it was then that Marika realized why her old friends had stopped coming. It didn't make sense, after all. It couldn't have been fun, coming over every day but not being able to do anything fun, always just talking or playing by themselves because Marika was too sick.

She had been sick for so long that she had forgotten. But that one day had reminded her. Reminded her of the fun, of the happiness you could feel when you were free to be with your friends, free to do whatever you wanted. Not the shackles that she put on Raku and Yui. The chains that they willingly wore whenever they entered her room. No running. No jumping. No exploring new places. No catching fish in the river. No climbing up trees.

She became less and less happy during their visits. She became more and more depressed when they left. Maybe she could've done this. Maybe she could've talked about that. They could've had more fun if she had been more active. If she hadn't been so negative, if she had put a little more effort into it.

Kosaki and Chitoge always had fun with Raku. Whenever Raku told her about their adventures, that smile never left his face. He was always happy when he was with them. And they were happy too, they were seeing parts of Raku that she could never see-

And the jealousy returned. The bitterness sunk into her heart. She hid it though, hid it because Raku would hate her if he found out. But it made her cry at night, made her wish that she didn't have such a weak body. She still worked at trying to be a lady, but it was half-hearted. What was the point of being a lady if her body couldn't keep up? What was the point if she couldn't make Raku happy?

And that day arrived. The day when her father had told Marika that they would be leaving soon. She tried to convince him not to, but there was no helping it. They couldn't live in the mountains for the rest of their life. And Raku wouldn't be here forever either.

So at the very least, she wanted to meet with Raku before they left. She wanted to tell him goodbye and tell him all the things she had saved up.

But he couldn't come. He said he had to go meet with Kosaki and Chitoge.

"Rakkun! Don't...Don't go. Stay with me!" she had said. He had already started climbing out of the room.

"I can't. I have to go see Chitoge. It's really important-"

"I'm leavin' Rakkun! We're never gun see each other again! Ain't that more important?" said Marika. Raku had hesitated, looked down at his feet as he thought.

"...Sorry, Mari. I can't."

And he had jumped. Jumped to somewhere Marika could not reach. She had rolled out of bed, crawled to the window, but he was gone.

She couldn't keep up.

"Rakkun...stupid Rakkun!" she had shouted out. But he hadn't heard her. Because he had gone to meet with Chitoge.

He had chosen her.

"Stupid...dummy...Rakkun, I hat-!"

She choked on those words. She couldn't say them. Because they weren't true. They weren't true at all. Even when he had left her, even thought he hadn't chosen her, she still loved him. She still loved him so much that her heart ached.

For the rest of the day, Marika wouldn't meet with anyone. She wouldn't talk with anyone. She had just sat in her bed, lost in her thoughts. Pitying herself. Hating herself. Hating herself for hating herself. It was endless. The black hole she was sinking into.

The evening passed. And the day came. But Raku didn't come back. They were leaving soon. Her father had come in and packed her stuff. She was walking down the stairs and to the car outside.

"Mari!"

She almost didn't hear it because of the car's engine. She poked her head out the window and yelled for her father to stop. The car stopped on the road down the hill.

"Rakkun!"

Raku was running after her. He was covered in dirt and little bits of leaves, looking like he had run through an entire forest. Raku came up to the window, panting.

"Here!"

Thrust something at her face. But she didn't care about it. He had come! He had come to meet her after all!

"Rakkun..." said Marika, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Mari...sorry. Sorry I took so long," said Raku. He held the key up and put it in her hand. "Take this, ok? Take this and we'll meet again."

"What is it, Rakkun?"

"We'll meet for sure," said Raku, closing his hand over hers. "If you keep that key with you, we'll meet for sure again and keep our promise!"

P-Promise? W-What was he talking about? What promise? What was this key for? And what was that thing around Raku's neck?

"Hey! So that's where you got off to, Raku!"

Raku's father was running up behind him with a group of yakuza. Marika's car opened up and her father came out of the driver's seat.

"Ah? What's going on here?" said Marika's father.

"Geh...you're still here, huh?" said Raku's father. "Well, it looks like I've caused you a bit of trouble."

"Hoh? I was wondering why that boy didn't show up. So you brought him here, eh? Looks like you really are thinking of keeping your promise."

"Huh? Promise...?"

"Ah..." said Marika, finally understanding. That's right, what had her father said? He'd ask if she could marry Raku. Was that it? Was that the promise he had been talking about!?

"Right...the promise..." said Raku's father, laughing. What was that again? Well, whatever. Couldn't be that bad. He could figure it out later. But if he showed any mention of not knowing it right now, there'd probably be a big fight.

"Hmph. I guess it's a good occasion," said Marika's father, rummaging through one of his bags. "They might be apart for a while, so we should take a picture."

"Oh, good idea," said Raku's father. "Seems like my son's been getting along well with your daughter."

"Alright, stand there. I'll take the picture," said Marika's father.

"Ah? Don't you want to be in it too?"

"**...Haah?** You trying to start something with me?" said Marika's father, a scary look appearing on his face. "The police chief in a photograph with riff-raff like you? You've got to be joking."

"Ahaha...right," said Raku's father. _...You didn't have a problem when we were drinking last night._

"Rakkun."

"Hm? What's up, Mari?"

"I'm gun keep this forever," said Mari, holding the key to her chest. "So, don't forget our promise, ok?"

"Yeah! Of course," said Raku, smiling. He held up the pendant hanging off his neck. "I'll never forget. We both live in Japan and our dads know each other, so we'll meet again! For sure!"

"Yeah. Promise, Rakkun."

"Promise," said Raku, holding Marika's hand.

And then, the photo had snapped.

* * *

><p>Once upon a time, two girls had met the same boy. They had all played together and spent a happy month as good friends.<p>

Once upon a time, one of the girls had brought along a storybook from her mother's visit to a foreign country. She had gone there to study about Western confectioneries and she had brought back this book as a souvenir for her daughter. If you had asked her mother, she would have said that she had only bought the book because it was the only children's story with a Japanese translation that she could find there.

Once upon a time, the two girls had read this book together and loved it dearly. But they had cried at the ending. When they met with the boy they were friends with, he had offered to change the ending.

And now, it was sundown and they were standing on a hill as one of the girls was about to leave.

"Chitoge!"

Raku and Yui had gone to see Chitoge. She was leaving for America soon and they might never meet again. When she had told them, it had been sad for all of them. But Raku had gotten an idea.

"The story. We'll do it like in the story," said Raku.

"What do you mean?" said Chitoge.

"The prince and the princess get separated, right? But they said they'll meet again and they kept a pendant and a key to find each other."

"And the fairies helped him with other keys. Yeah, I know," said Chitoge impatiently.

"But the fairies disappeared..." said Kosaki sadly. Her eyes began to tear up. "Even though they helped the prince so much, he couldn't reach the princess. So one by one, the fairies used their keys to build a bridge and they disappeared because of that."

"And even though they finally came together, the fairies that helped them never came back," said Yui. "They unlocked the pendant with the key and inside was the fairy that had been helping them all along, dead because she used all of her energy."

"Not that one! The good ending," said Raku, showing Chitoge the book. "The one we wrote."

"Yeah. The one where all the fairies are inside the pendant and they all lived happily together," said Kosaki, brightening up. "We even drew in all the fairies."

"We'll do it like that!" said Raku, fishing in his pocket. "My dad's guys and Yui-nee helped me buy this."

In one hand, there was a golden pendant identical to the one in the storybook. In the other, there was a group of keys.

"That's..."

"Here, Chitoge," said Raku, handing Chitoge one of the keys. "_Zawsze in love._ I'll hold the lock and you hold the key."

"And if we grow up and see each other again, we'll open the lock and take out what's inside...?" said Chitoge, a smile growing on her face.

"Yeah! But you need the fairies first!" said Raku, giving a key to Kosaki and Yui. "We'll all be here in Japan if you ever come back., so you just have to find one of us!"

"Eh? So you mean..." said Kosaki, thinking back to the story. "She needs to find all of us first?"

"Yep! We need all the keys or we can't open the pendant!" said Raku. "We have to do it together. No matter what."

"Heh...that's never going to happen," said Chitoge, laughing a little as she wiped her eyes. "We might not even remember any of this when we grow up..."

"Then don't forget!" said Raku. "Look, we can do this..."

He tore the last few pages out of the storybook.

"! Raku-kun-!"

"What...WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Hmm. We can't fit it all in here...whatever. I'll just put this page. It's the important one," said Raku, folding the paper up and putting it in the pendant.

"How could you just rip up Kosaki-chan's book like that-!"

"Here!" said Raku, shoving the rest of the pages into Chitoge's hands. "Don't forget those! Put them somewhere safe and you'll always remember. And you'll need to find us if you ever want to read the last page!"

Chitoge's face was turning red and she was starting to cry. She shook her head and apologized to Kosaki.

"No, Chitoge-chan. It's ok. Take them," said Kosaki, holding her hands. "Raku-kun's right. Come back and we'll see each other again."

"Yeah...yeah, I'll keep them," said Chitoge, holding both the papers and the key to her chest. "I won't lose them, ever!"

"And when you're back, we'll just put the key in here," said Yui, sticking her key into the pendant. "And just turn like this-"

_Snap!_

"Uh...oh no," said Yui. She stared at the broken key with her lips trembling. "S-Sorry everyone...I think I...I...broke it..."

"D-Don't worry about it! You know Shu, right? He has a relative that can fix it. Don't worry, ok?" said Raku to Yui, who had started to cry. Chitoge started laughing again. Really, what was this? It was so stupid.

"Anyways, don't forget, ok? About our promise..." said Raku, trying not to look embarrassed. "Both of you!"

"I won't," said Kosaki, holding her key tightly.

"Me either," said Chitoge. She leaned forward and smiled at Raku. "You don't forget either, ok? The other part of the promise..."

"Huh? What other part?"

"Oh!" Kosaki clapped her hands as she realized what Chitoge was talking about. Chitoge bounced away and hugged Kosaki close.

"Getting married. That's what they do in the story," said Chitoge.

"Huh? Married?" said Raku.

"Yeah. You have to get married to all of us!" said Chitoge. She looked at Kosaki and winked. "Right?"

"Eh? Uhm...uh...yeah..." said Kosaki, blushing deeply. Yui came over, still crying, and hugged them all.

"Me too! Me too, ok, Raku-chan?"

"Y-Yeah...ok, Yui-nee," said Raku, not exactly sure what was going on anymore.

"Hm? Wait a minute. What about Marika-chan?" said Chitoge.

"Oh, I've got a key for her too-"

Raku checked his pockets. Nothing.

"...Huh?"

"Ah...Raku-chan...I think we only bought three keys..."

"What!?"

"Hey, Raku! What are you doing!?"

"Raku-kun, that's not good! You have to get Marika-chan a key too! She's the one that said we're all going to play together again, right?"

"Gh...don't worry! I'll get her one! Let's go, Yui-nee!"

"Y-Yeah! Chitoge-chan, Kosaki-chan. Bye!"

"Chitoge, we'll see you later!" said Raku, waving as he ran.

"Don't forget! You dummy!" cried Chitoge. Kosaki was crying too again.

"I won't! I'll never forget!"

And then he ran. He ran to get the last key for Tachibana Marika...

* * *

><p>"And that's what happened," said Yui, finishing the story. In front of her, in Raku's hands, was the final page of the storybook.<p>

The prince and the princess. And the fairies all drawn in around them, instead of empty as it was on the back of the book.

"W-Wait...so you mean..." said Raku, trying to process everything that had been said. "It wasn't one promised girl? It was two?"

"Yeah. Well, I guess the promise was really just to Chitoge-chan, but Kosaki-chan was there too," said Yui. Huh? But that couldn't be right...whenever Raku had thought of the promised girl, it had been a vague image of a girl in a white dress, with long brown hair...

_...Huh?_

He looked at Chitoge and Kosaki. Long blonde hair. Short brown hair.

_No, it couldn't be..._

_That..._

_That was just..._

"H-Huh? Huh...?"

"So then...the promise Raku made wasn't about getting married? It was about all of us playing together again?" said Chitoge, feeling her world crashing down. All this time...she had thought all this time...

"Yep!" said Yui.

"Y-Yui-nee! Why didn't you just tell me that!" said Raku.

"Y-Yeah! If you knew about it, why didn't you say anything, Yui-san?" said Chitoge.

"Well...it didn't really matter," said Yui. "Since you all came together anyways."

"But you could've still told us!" said Raku. She was smiling at him. Ugh...that meant all this time...so cruel Yui-nee...

"Darn it...gosh darn it!" yelled Marika, holding her hands over her face. "All this time...all this time, I thought Rakkun was talkin' bout marriage, but it was that promise! That promise! AHHH!"

"...Tachibana."

"Then...it's all over?" said Kosaki. "The mystery with the keys and pendant?"

"Seems so," said Yui. "Well, this still doesn't change the fact that Raku-chan has a decision to make."

"Huh? What do you mean?" said Raku.

"I told you before, didn't I, Raku-chan? That the promised girl didn't matter, that you have to know who's most important to you now," said Yui. "Did you come to a decision yet?"

Raku didn't know what to say. It was so sudden. All this time, he had been trying to find the promised girl's identity. He hadn't known why he wanted to know, but it had been a strong goal of his. Knowing who that girl was, that girl who might've been his first love. But now that he knew the whole story, he realized that it wasn't just one girl. It was two. And the promise had been to everyone.

But did any of that really matter? The truth was that he liked Onodera Kosaki. He had liked her since middle school. Yes, he was in a relationship with Kirisaki Chitoge, but it was a fake relationship. If he just went by his heart, he would have to say that Kosaki was the girl that was most important to him...

So then, why couldn't he say it? Why couldn't he answer? Raku looked at Kosaki. Yeah, there it was. That heartbeat. That feeling of warmth. He loved her. He really did. If this wasn't love, then he didn't know what was.

He looked at Chitoge. Calm. He felt relaxed around her and a little irritated. But if he thought about it, he had spent the most time with Chitoge because of their relationship. But he didn't like her, right? Not the way he liked Kosaki...

But Chitoge had technically been the promised girl...right?

So that meant...

_Shit...this is so confusing!_ And then there was Marika! Now that he knew the whole story, there was no way he could think that her feelings weren't serious. But he couldn't return her feelings! Or could he?

And Yui-nee? What about Yui-nee?

Raku wanted to run. He wanted to sprint like a deer. But he couldn't. Because that'd be the worst. That'd be the route of a scumbag.

What was the problem? He loved Onodera Kosaki. He just had to say it.

But wait, confession? Here!? Confess in front of all of them!? No, no...that was too much! No, he'd just say...yeah...he'd just say that he did make a decision. After all, that'd make sense. Since he was in a fake relationship with Chitoge, the decision would seem "obvious." Yeah and then he could sort out his feelings for Kosaki...sort out the mess that was in his mind right now...

_What is he doing?_

Chitoge watched exasperatedly as Raku paced back and forth, holding his head like he was in agony. He was probably thinking of a bunch of needless things. Well, it made sense. After all, even she was shaken up. All this time, they had been chasing after the truth about the keys. They had hoped that some sort of answer would be there, hoped with both apprehension and eagerness. Maybe that answer would be bad. Maybe the answer would be in their favor. In either case, the answer had been what they had all hedged their bets on.

But...

The answer had turned out to be useless.

It didn't change anything. It didn't change the fact that she was in love with Raku. It didn't change the fact that Tsugumi was in love with him. That Marika was in love with him. That Kosaki was probably in love with him. That Yui was in love with him.

None of that was changed by this revelation.

Of course, Raku didn't know about any of this. He was probably struggling because he had just become aware of everyone's feelings. Maybe not as directly as Chitoge, but he was starting to see hints of it now. Chitoge couldn't blame him for being clueless, since she hadn't known either, but after being ignorant all this time, getting everything at once was probably stressful.

She really wanted to give him a break. Create an out and just leave things like they always had been for a little while longer.

But...

She looked at Kosaki. She looked at Tsugumi. Marika. Yui. Raku.

_Yeah..._

That just wasn't possible anymore.

"Everyone, I want to say something," said Chitoge suddenly. Since everyone had just been looking at Raku do contortions for no reason, Chitoge quickly got their attention.

_Phew..._

_It's really scary._

_I think this is the most scared I've ever been._

But at the same time, she was confident. She felt courageous. More than she had ever been. It was a strange feeling. On one hand, it was like she was about to stand naked in front of everyone. Every inch of her would be under scrutiny. It was her true feelings, her true heart pulled out into the open. But on the other hand, the feelings had been waiting for this. They had been waiting and preparing for this moment.

"I'm not Raku's real girlfriend," said Chitoge. "We're just pretending because of various complicated reasons."

No one really reacted to that. For a moment, Chitoge wondered if they hadn't heard her, but then, it all slid into place. _Oh..._

_Everyone figured it out..._

Chitoge wanted to facepalm. She wanted to crouch down and roll up into a ball. But no, she couldn't stop here! If she stopped here, it would be even more awkward!

"We're not really dating," continued Chitoge, embarrassed. But the words were coming out more easily than she had thought. That little change in the mood had worked in her favor. "We're not really dating but..."

Here it was.

The moment of truth.

Where her false love-

Would at least become-

"I..."

The words stuck to her throat. It was holding them, last-minute doubts surfacing in Chitoge's mind. _Don't say it! He's not even looking at you yet! He's going to reject you! There's no going back from this!_

'I..."

She clenched her eyes shut. Damn it. She had just fought with an entire organization of weirdo black suits. She had beaten a muscleman that had the power to wreck the entire school. She had punched out an insane little girl with a giant robot!

_Kh..._

_Don't..._

_Don't underestimate me!_

"I...I LOVE YOU, RAKU!" said Chitoge. "I REALLY REALLY LOVE YOU. NOT PRETEND, BUT FOR REAL. I LOVE YOU!"

Silence. It was like even nature was stunned at her declaration. The silence was so strong that Chitoge could hear her panting echoing in her ears.

_I said it..._

_I said it..._

_I..._

_Oh my god, I actually said it!_

She didn't care anymore. She rolled up into a ball and covered her face. Screw it! It was over! It didn't matter what anyone thought now!

"H-Huh...? What did you say, Chitoge?"

_Snap!_

Chitoge got up. She stomped right over to him and pushed her face right up to his. Her eyes stabbed into him like daggers.

_Oh no!_

_You're not going to pull this shit!_

"I love you! Ok? Did you hear me that time? I love you, stupid beansprout!" said Chitoge.

"W-What...since when...?" stammered Raku.

"Since...probably all along!" said Chitoge. "Look, the bottom line is, I love you! I have feelings for you. I want us to date for real. I want to be your girlfriend! In fact, I want to get married too!"

_W..._

_WHAAAT!?_

_WHAT!?_

_What is she saying!? She loves me? Chitoge loves me?_

_That can't be right! Chitoge hates me! Or at least, she doesn't feel that way about me..._

_We're always fighting-_

_We're always arguing-_

_We don't get along at all-_

_People even got suspicious of our dating-_

_We're always together-_

_We know what each other is thinking-_

_We've pulled each other through a lot-_

Raku stopped. He looked, really looked, at the girl in front of him. Kirisaki Chitoge. His fake lover.

The girl that had fallen in love with him. That loved him right now, with all her heart. That had confessed to him, done something that even he had never found the courage to do, done it in front of everyone knowing full well the risks, the potential for rejection-

"Chitoge...I..." said Raku. Seriously. What was this? Uncool. Super lame. A girl had more courage than him. A girl had more guts than him. Even if it was Chitoge. No, because it was Chitoge. Because he knew so many of her faces. Her sad face. Her happy face. Her depressed face. Her angry face. He knew, from the face that was in front of him right now, that she was completely serious.

"I love you. That's all," said Chitoge, hugging him. "Don't say anything right now or I'll kill you."

Raku shut his mouth. Ok. He'd shut up. Because he knew. And she knew. There had to be a decision made. He was going to have to answer her confession sometime. And when that happened, there were just two ways it could go.

Either he would love her or her heart would be broken.

But he loved Kosaki.

So that meant...

_Shit...damn it..._

Raku gritted his teeth. He was an idiot. A real idiot. To let it get to this point.

Chitoge clutched him harder. Her arms were wrapped so tightly around his waist that it almost felt natural.

No one spoke. No one made a move.

Except for Onodera Kosaki.

"Chitoge-chan...I'm sorry, but..."

"Huh? Kosaki-chan?" Chitoge looked up from Raku's chest.

Kosaki walked up to them. Walked up until she was standing behind them.

Then she hugged him. Hugged Raku from the back.

"I...I love Ichijou-kun!"

...

Extinction.

Ichijou Raku's mind was completely deleted from existence.

Kosaki pressed her face into his back. This was the decision she had made. When Chitoge had confessed to Raku, she had felt her heart sink. Because the one thing that she had always tried to ignore had happened. Chitoge and Raku's relationship. A fake relationship that she had become accustomed to. Because it meant that she still had a chance. That she could still enjoy these days a little longer.

But Chitoge had confessed. She had found the courage to confess that Kosaki hadn't been able to muster all these years. Seeing that scene, although Kosaki had wanted to cry, she had also admired Chitoge. She had thought that Chitoge was really a good person. That in the end, it was fine if Raku chose Chitoge. If it was Chitoge...yes...she could be fine with it. She could let her feelings go for the sake of her important friend.

...

No. She couldn't. If she could have, then she would have back when she didn't know the truth about their relationship. No matter how she tried to hide it, her feelings for Raku were real. They were there, beating in her heart.

And she wanted him to know. She wanted to tell him, just like Chitoge had. Because if he just knew her feelings...if for just a moment, he would look at her the same way that she looked at him...

Kosaki rubbed her face on Raku's back. She was crying. If she didn't rub, then the tears would soak into one spot. She couldn't let Raku know that she was crying. Raku was going to make a decision and she had to be strong enough to take it.

Warm. Suddenly, she felt warm hands on her arms.

"Kosaki-chan..."

It was Chitoge. She was hugging her from around Raku. _I'm sorry, Chitoge-chan. I didn't...I didn't mean to hide it from you..._

_I know. Me either. Hehe...it's weird, huh? Looks like we ended up liking the same guy._

_...Yeah._

_Remember the promise we made, Kosaki-chan?_

_Promise? The one from eleven years ago?_

_No. The promise just between the two of us. That I would help you with your love and you would help with mine._

Their hugs tightened. Yeah, they had promised. Even if it was the same boy, they had promised to each other.

"Raku-"

"Ichijou-kun-"

"I LOVE YOU!"

All three of them toppled over from an incredible force. Huh!? What was this!? Who was ruining this touching moment!?

"I love you too, Raku-sama."

"Y-You! Why do you always have to ruin everything!"

"Marika-san..."

"Hmph. You think I'll let you steal Raku-sama away from me like this?" said Marika, joining in the hug.

"Kh...just as annoying as ever," said Chitoge, trying to bat Marika's hand away.

"Besides..." said Marika, a flash of a genuine smile appearing on her face. "I suppose I do owe you..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing! Raku-sama, it's me, isn't it? The one you really love? Let's set aside this hussy and this docile bunny. I know that you will take me, a real woman."

_H-Hussy!?_

_B-bunny...?_

What was going on? Raku couldn't comprehend it. Was this a joke? No...no, it wasn't. But...what? Seriously?

Chitoge was actually in love with him.

Kosaki loved him back!

And Marika was...well...

No wait, back to the real point! Kosaki loved him!

Their love was mutual!?

He wanted to celebrate. He wanted to get up and dance on his feet. But he couldn't. Because there was still Chitoge. And Marika. And-

"Ehh! No fair!"

Yui jumped in to hug them too.

"I love Raku-chan too!"

"Geh...why you..."

"Ah, Marika! Where are you putting that hand? Get off Raku already!"

"Uhm...Ichijou-kun. Are you ok? You look like you're in a lot of pain..."

"Tsugumi! Tsugumi, get in here too!"

"H-Huh!? W-What are you talking about, Ojou-!"

"I know already. You like Raku too, right? Get in here."

"N-No! That's...that was just..."

Ruri and Shu winked at each other. Then they silently gave Tsugumi a push-

"WAAHH!"

"GAH!"

"P-Please get off! Your enormous chest is crushing Raku-sama!"

"Oh my, Tsugumi-chan. I might lose to you when it comes to those..."

"...What is this?" said Haru. Honestly, that senpai of hers. It was all just a mess. Even when he was being sincere, things became like this around him. Haru smiled and stepped back. _Good for you, Onee-chan. You finally did it._

"What are you doing, Onodera Haru?" said Paula, looking at her.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't you be joining them? After all, everyone else is confessing to the Ichijou boy."

"M-Me!? No...I can't do that. I don't even have a key..."

"Does it matter?" said Paula, nudging her. "You love him, don't you? Love him enough to cry on my shoulder."

"Ugh...Paula-san, that wasn't..."

"Go!"

Onodera Haru was also thrown into the pile.

"H-Haru?"

"O-Onee-chan...I'm...sniff...sorry, Onee-chan..."

"Huh!? Haru-chan!? You like this idiot!? No, no, Haru-chan, leave! Get out! Don't fall for this stupid beansprout! You can do sooo much better than him!"

"Well, if you think that way, Kirisaki-san, why don't you follow your own advice? After all, Raku-sama is going to pick me-"

"Shut up! No way I'm going to hand him over to you!"

"Haru...Onee-chan's happy that you two really got along..."

"O-Onee-chan!? That's not the kind of reaction you should be having!"

"Oh! So many nice pictures! Isn't this great, Raku? Actually, let me join in the fun!" said Shu, getting ready to dive into the bundle of delicious female bodies-

_WHAM!_

"Please control yourself, just this once, Maiko-kun," said Ruri, throwing Shu down the stairs.

Raku couldn't move. He was completely pinned down by the girls hugging him. On one arm were Tsugumi, Chitoge, and Marika. On the other arm were Yui, Haru, and Kosaki. They all loved him. Every single one.

He looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set and the clouds were awash with lavender, cream orange, and pastels.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

In the end, a promise was a promise.

* * *

><p>Back inside the school, in the destruction of a certain hallway, a silver-haired Beehive member in a white suit was regaining consciousness.<p>

"Boss, I know how you feel, but we should probably retreat today."

"Idiots, of course we are!"

"H-Huh!? But...Boss, weren't you hell-bent on stopping the confessions because they'd destroy the world-"

"Hmph. Things have changed. I just got a call from some of our intel. It looks like we have an outside force interfering with the world's progression."

"An outside force?"

"It doesn't matter. In any case, the path the world is taking right now doesn't seem to be too bad. Now, go gather everyone up. We'll get WcDonald's ice cream on the way back."

"Yay! I mean...wait...we're not paying, are we?"

"Nope. I ran into some cash recently."

"Really!? How?"

"Oh...just a little rummaging around. Now, let's get out of here. Not only the Shuei-gumi, but the Beehives are here now."

"Yes, Boss!"

It seemed like they were retreating for today. Claude waited until they had all left before rising into a sitting position. How fearsome, this strange group. To think that he had to play dead to get away unscathed. He searched around for his square-frame glasses and found them a few feet away. Cracked, but still usable.

So the rest of the Beehive were here, then? He would have to rendezvous with them and try to track down the rest of that group-

_Hm?_

_Hmmmm?_

_Wait a second..._

_Phone. Keys. The picture of Ojou I eat lunch with everyday._

Claude took out his phone and called the Beehives.

"Yes, Claude-sama!"

"...Search every WcDonald's you can find."

Those bastards had his wallet.

* * *

><p>A certain pink-haired girl was seated in front of her monitor, watching the aftermath of the great invasion of Bonyari High School. That Tachibana Marika. What a cunning human. To not only have realized that the current relationships with Ichijou Raku were complicated, dragging, and ultimately damaging to all those involved; she had also come up with a plan to take advantage of an underground organization.<p>

First, send in one of her father's men to infiltrate the organization.

Then, create the scenario where the pendant would be broken open.

Have the infiltrate manipulate the organization's movements to force the students to react in certain ways, ways that would create pockets of knowledge and insight-

Yes, this was all done to prepare the girls for the final revelation. To view it in a certain way, to accept it on certain terms, so that a certain path would open up for them-

Well, of course, the plan had been modified slightly. After spending so much time in the organization, the infiltrate had made a suggestion to bring a little quality-of-life improvement for the Boss. A person with a good nature, just misguided in a way.

There had been a few hitches, but in the end...things had gone quite smoothly. The results were better than expected.

She smiled and lightly bit into a strawberry. Yes, it had gone very well. And if things continued as they were, she would get some very good data in exchange for her assistance in Tachibana Marika's plot.

"In any case, thank you very much. This information will prove very useful for the harem plan," said Momo Velia Deviluke. Yes, she would monitor this situation very closely. All for the sake of Rito and the many girls whose lives were entangled with his.

* * *

><p><strong>The (Harem) Plan<strong>

**END**

* * *

><p><strong>Afterword<strong>

_And, it's finally over! On the same day that it was published, a month later too! So now that it's all ended, I'm sure there are still some questions you might have. Like what happened to the extra pages if Raku gave them to Chitoge? How could Marika have planned all this if she didn't know what was inside the pendant and had a misunderstanding about what the "promise" was this whole time? There are plenty of similar holes that were left unexplained, but they can certainly **be** explained! So, if you have any questions, just leave a comment or PM and I'll answer them in the next chapter. _

_Wait, what did you say? You're continuing with this story? Not exactly. But before we get into that, let's talk about this fanfic first._

_I've written a lot of stories over the years. I also wrote fanfiction from time to time, although most under a different name. However, I never actually managed to finish a story. Sure, I'd have a big plot fixed up and all the characters thought of, but I just never could pull myself to the finish line. No NaNoWriMo for me. Even my only other fanfiction on this account, Those Minions, was not completely finished. _

_So this is a big achievement for me. I was finally able to write something all the way to the end (even if it ended up being a bumpy story)! The idea for this Nisekoi fanfic started when I was trying to sleep, but unable to sleep because I took a nap a few hours before. Strange how you really latch onto ideas when you can't sleep. In any case, the initial seeds for this fanfic was wondering what would happen if all the Nisekoi characters confessed all at once! Wouldn't that be crazy? How would that even work?_

_Now anyone on this side of the planet who's read Nisekoi will know about its strengths and weaknesses. On one hand, the art is just fantastic, in any sense. People are divided on the story and characters. Since Nisekoi is Jump romance manga, it's going to be setup so that there are a variety of girls that people can root for. It's kind of like picking a football team._

_And of course, like football, the arguments can get heated. The fanships can become very aggressive. So one of the biggest points of discussion in Nisekoi is "Where's the plot?" Can we get some actual development here, rather than useless resets? As a result, a lot of Nisekoi meta-discussion and fanfiction revolves around what it'd be like if actual developments happened, if Nisekoi had some more meat to it. _

_That was a sphere I tried to explore in my first Nisekoi fanfiction. But I quickly discarded it. Because it was awful. Trying to bring reality and drama into something like Nisekoi? It was like adding a bucket of soy sauce to vanilla ice cream. The salt! The soy! That overpowering stench fighting with another overpowering stench!  
><em>

_So, when I got the idea for this fanfic, the idea where all the girls would confess and actually have developments happen, I had a deja vu feeling. This wouldn't work. I couldn't handle this like a teen romance novel or a mature discussion between intelligent people. It had to be lightened up. It had to stay in the spirit of the series._

_So I threw in a giant robot. And stuff. And suddenly, it felt more Nisekoi-ish. It didn't feel heavy and suffocating. _

_And things went on from there. I wanted to make sure that each girl got her little spotlight, since that's kind of what Nisekoi's about. At the same time, I couldn't just leave the black suits and the labcoat girl hanging. You can certainly have an antagonist with no backstory, but these antagonists were OC and came out of nowhere. They needed some anchor into the world. And then things started getting meta, because I was reading so much material, going back over so many chapters, it was bound to get meta._

_And finishing up this long afterword is about the ending. Just how plausible is the theory put out here? Well, I won't say that I did anything intensive like "research" with Nisekoi (LOL). But having a few volumes on hand and the Internet to fill in holes, I was able to go back and scrutinize a lot of pages to be as faithful as I could to the series. At one point, I was even combing through chapters just to find details for the layout of Tsugumi's apartment. But of course, I was too lazy to thoroughly read through the entire series again. In addition, there are actually a good number of inconsistencies that Komi creates when he talks about the past, especially with the addition of Kanakura Yui. Of course, these can be easily worked around (as I did), so it's all up to Komi's ability and perhaps the foresight of a good editor to handle that in publication. It's the sort of thing that's expected with a weekly publication._

_In any case, because of my laziness and these inconsistencies, the theory could probably be picked apart somewhere. But **the result** is something I very much want to happen in the original series. That's because choosing just "one" girl is very painful with the way the relationships are set right now. No matter what, some girl is going to get hurt, and it's not just as simple as "he doesn't like me." The relationships that Komi has drawn have huge splash damage if you look at them in a serious light. But I guess we'll see how it ends up in the near future (as someone has pointed out to me, there has yet to be a Jump romance to hit 200 chapters. I believe that's correct, although I haven't looked very hard to verify). _

_And why the To Love-Ru reference? Well, because To Love-Ru switched gears from the realistic, drama-filled tone of series like I''s and Ichigo 100% to the kind of light comedy that we see in Nisekoi today. In a sense, Nisekoi is To Love-Ru's successor, with moe expressions instead of nudity._

_So, that's all about the fic! Wait, what about that next chapter? Well, that's up to you actually! I'm thinking of writing some bonus chapters now that the main story is over, to expand on certain aspects. I'm divided on what to expand on first, so I'll have a poll up for you guys to decide on my profile page!_

_**And lastly, thank you all for reading this fanfiction.** I hope it kept you entertained at the very least. As for the reviewers, a double thanks! Reviews are one of the ways writers on this site can find out what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong. Ditto to those that favorited and alerted. But of course, this couldn't have happened without you, the reader! So thanks! Like really! I'd use more exclamation marks, but FF won't let me!  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>See you next time!<em>**


	19. Bonus Arc - Hot! Steamy! Kosaki-chan! 1

**Bonus Arc**

**Hot! Steamy! Kosaki-chan!**

_Part One_

* * *

><p>Onodera Kosaki was facing a problem. It had been two weeks since she had confessed to the love of her life, Ichijou Raku. But during her confession, she had also found out that one of her best friends, Kirisaki Chitoge, was also in love with him.<p>

And so was Chitoge's bodyguard, Tsugumi Seishirou.

And her own little sister, Onodera Haru.

And...well, she had always known about Tachibana Marika and Kanakura Yui.

These revelations put her in a tough spot. On one hand, she was feeling an unexpected feeling of happiness and pride. No one else had seemed to notice how good a person Ichijou Raku was. She had always been frightened that he might be taken away by someone else someday. When Chitoge had started "dating" him, the shock had hit so hard that she hadn't known how to cope with it. Maybe that was why Ruri had been able to persuade her to continue shooting for Raku. It wasn't that Kosaki was the kind of person that would fight for a guy that was already taken. In fact, Kosaki was like a docile little bunny. The punch had been like a tiger's strike, knocking her completely senseless.

It had been with great relief that she had found out the truth, that the two had been pretending to date because of issues between their families. Of course, there were times where she was asked some awkward questions because she seemed interested in a supposedly taken person. And maybe that made people think that perhaps Onodera Kosaki wasn't so innocent after all. Perhaps she was really a schemer, someone that waited for an opportunity and then mercilessly swooped in to take it.

But the truth was that Kosaki was really that nice of a girl. She had been ready to give up and cry over her broken heart when she had thought that Raku and Chitoge had spent the night together at a hotel. Then there were the numerous times where Raku had been found in a compromising situation with the other girls. It was exhausting, constantly having her heart pulled one way or another.

But for some reason, she had never really considered the possibility of someone else loving Raku. Or rather, she had considered it, but it had slowly started to be put in the back of her mind. The problem wasn't so much that Raku might be taken away, but that she couldn't muster her courage to confess to him. Was she really good enough for someone like Raku? Could she be a girlfriend that he'd be proud of, that was deserving of his love? She wasn't sure about that. Although her sister and Chitoge doted on her, Kosaki didn't feel that special. She wasn't smart like Ruri and she wasn't as pretty as Chitoge. She wasn't good at cooking like Haru and she wasn't strong physically like Tsugumi. She didn't even have the strong passion that Marika possessed.

In essence, Kosaki was a very normal girl. Perhaps even worse than normal. All she could do was a little decorating. She couldn't see how she could stand with someone like Raku, whose kindness constantly saved people. You only needed to look at their group of friends to see the influence of Raku's actions. He was honest and always trying to do the right thing. Like a white knight? No. Raku wasn't suave or strong. He wasn't fast or very smart or really that special at all.

In fact, you could say that Raku was like Kosaki, a very normal person. But he worked hard no matter the situation and he never let his "normalness" stop him from helping others and standing up for them.

Perhaps you could say that Kosaki admired Raku. Because he could do things that she wished she could do. He was like a light that she wished she could reach. She wanted to feel his warm feelings everyday, continue spending fun times together, and grow into someone that deserved him.

Because she felt so strongly about Raku, the feelings of the other girls made Kosaki a little happy inside. Because it was like an affirmation of how good a person Raku was. How special he was. Other people could see it too, not just her.

But of course, it also troubled her. Because Kosaki was a normal girl. She didn't have anything that would make Raku look her way if there were other stars shining more brightly around him.

They were ugly feelings. It hurt Kosaki because she loved her friends. Just as she wanted to continue her somewhat tumultuous, but enjoyable days with Raku, she also wanted to continue those days with everyone else. But harboring these sort of feelings, this muddy jealousy and self-disdain, it made their glowing days look a little more dull, a little more painful.

It went against every notion of "romance" that she had, but Kosaki wanted to cheer her friends on. She wanted their love to succeed just as much as her own. Confusing and oxymoronic. It really didn't make any sense to her. But that was what she felt.

And that was how she continued after the so-called "Black Suit Invasion." The school's repairs had been made rather quickly by a private construction company. In just a week, the students were back to their regular schedule and classes.

Back to their usual carefree days. Back to their life as second-year students. Raku had never given an answer to their confessions. But she could understand why. Having six girls confess to him all at once...she was sure that he was having trouble trying to sort out his own feelings.

And she knew. She knew that in the end, one girl would be picked and the others would have to deal with the holes in their hearts. She didn't envy Raku for it. In fact, she wanted to take back her confession, save him the pain and turmoil that he had to face in his decision.

But they had all agreed on not discussing the matter anymore with Raku until he came to a decision on his own. It was fair and it was also for the best. Although it hurt just thinking about what Raku had to go through, it was necessary. Now that the truth was in the open, they couldn't just go on with their lives like it had never happened. She didn't want to belittle her friends' treasured feelings like that either.

No, a decision had to be made. But until then, Kosaki was content with the usual antics that happened to their group. She was just fine with spending just a little more time having fun and happy times with everyone.

So, it wasn't really Raku's fault that Kosaki was troubled. Actually, it was because of a completely separate matter that Kosaki was feeling stressed.

And that was because of a certain proposition suggested by her best friend, Miyamoto Ruri, during lunch one day.

"Kosaki, let's watch a porno."

HEAD SLAM.

Kosaki's face came back up from her desk, her forehead red from the collision.

"R-Ruri-chan!?"

Just what was she saying at a time like this!? At lunch time! In class! Right in front of everyone! Did anyone hear? Kosaki whipped her head back and forth to make sure no one was around.

"Ruri-chan, what are you thinking!?" hissed Kosaki.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear enough. We are going to watch a **pornographic** video involving people **being naked** and having **sexual intercourse**."

"! T-Th...It's not about the details! Ruri-chan, we can't do that!"

"Why not? The boys do it."

"That's..."

"I bet even Ichijou-kun does it."

"Geez! Geez, Ruri-chan!" said Kosaki, pulling her friend's cheeks frantically. "Why do we have to watch a p-p...one of those videos anyways!"

"Kohahi, it hurfs." Kosaki reluctantly let go of Ruri's cheeks. "So, we'll get one this afternoon and watch it at your house."

"Why are we watching it at my house!?"

"If I was found watching porno at my house, I wouldn't be able to show my face around my family."

"Neither would I, Ruri-chan!"

"No, it should be fine. Your mom is just a sweets-nut anyways."

"That's...true but...no, no, Ruri-chan, we're not going to watch it at all! This isn't something we should be doing!"

"Kosaki...do you think I like doing this? Do I seem like the kind of person that sits at home all day watching pornos? Do you think I would force my best friend to sit and watch some random strangers fornicating on the screen just to have a silent laugh at her reaction?"

"...Ruri-chan. Don't tell me that's why..."

"Of course not. This isn't just a random suggestion I'm making, Kosaki. It's for your sake!"

"My...sake?"

"That's right. Believe me, if I thought there was any other way to do this, I'd do that instead. But watching a porno is all we can do. It's the only way to fix this mess you're in right now."

"What do you mean, Ruri-chan? What mess are you talking about?"

"Kosaki. If you're really that dense, then our friendship can't continue."

"E-Eh!? R-Ruri-chan, you can't be serious!"

"I'm completely serious! This is as serious as it can get, Kosaki! It's not just about Yui-sensei anymore!" said Ruri, huffing irritably.

"Ah...that's..." said Kosaki, finally getting what Ruri was talking about. "B-But we all agreed that we'd give Ichijou-kun some space so that he could make a decisi-"

"Listen, Kosaki. I can't tell you exactly why I think this because of an especially annoying glasses-wearing bastard, but you have a much stronger chance than the other girls," said Ruri, jabbing her palm with her finger. "Yes, even against Kirisaki-san's and Yui-sensei's extremely high specs. Yes, even against Tsugumi-san's much more endowed chest."

"Wait, what about Marika-chan...?"

"The point is, Kosaki, you have a very strong advantage over them that you're not aware of. And if you don't act now, then you're going to throw that away! This is the real deal, Kosaki. Even your sister is gunning for Ichijou now!"

"Haru is...I mean...I think it'd be ok if..."

"Don't think like that, Kosaki! For the last time, if you want your man, you have to fight for it! Didn't you tell me that you'd fight for him, Kosaki? You think because you confessed to him that you can just sit back and relax? This is when you have to strike!"

"Nnngg..." Ruri was right. This was no time to be relaxing. True, she had confessed her feelings, but five other girls had also confessed their feelings. The special someone in Raku's heart was still up in the air. But unlike previous times, there was an end in sight now. No matter what, Raku would be making a decision sometime in the near future.

"I get it, Ruri-chan," said Kosaki, accepting defeat. "So...how is watching a p...those kinds of videos going to help me?"

"She who strikes first strikes twice," said Ruri. "We've all been more or less friends for the past two years. What's the one thing that Ichijou hasn't done with any of the girls that like him?"

"Uhm...k-kissing, probably. I think...on the lips..."

"And?"

"...T-Touching. And t...those kinds of things..."

There was a moment of silence. Kosaki looked at Ruri apprehensively in the silence.

"Kosaki."

"W-What, Ruri-chan?"

"...You're more daring than I thought."

Kosaki's face burst into steam.

"T-That's not...you were the one that asked, Ruri-chan!"

"Well, yeah. But you could've said something like going on a trip alone together or spending the night in the same room-"

_Uggh..._

Kosaki held her tongue. She hadn't mentioned it to Ruri, but there had already been an incident like that when they had gone together to help her relative at the onsen. Also, since Raku was pretending to be Chitoge's girlfriend, he had already done a lot of date-like things with her. There really wasn't much left besides the intimate stuff!

"But this is good. It'll make things easier when we watch the porno if your mind is already in that kind of state."

"My mind is not in that kind of staaate!"

"Ah. Lunch is almost over. Ok, we're meeting after school. Don't forget, Kosaki."

"Ehhh...Ruri-chan, you can't be serious..."

"**Be there**," said Ruri, her eyes piercing like daggers.

It looked like Onodera Kosaki would be watching a porno after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_And so, the bonus arc begins! These chapters will have a more spread out and unpredictable update schedule than the main plot. Sorry for the inconvenience!_


	20. Bonus Arc - Hot! Steamy! Kosaki-chan! 2

**Bonus Arc**

**Hot! Steamy! Kosaki-chan! **

_Part Two  
><em>

* * *

><p>Watching a porno. It was a crazy idea. It wasn't something that you'd normally do to solve your friend's romance problems.<p>

But in Kosaki's case, it was necessary.

Miyamoto Ruri's best friend was Onodera Kosaki. For the longest time, she had been watching her friend clumsily try and convey her feelings to her love, Ichijou Raku. Most of the time, it was infuriating for her, watching them dance around the pole, almost exactly the same way each time. Stop chasing after your own tails, damn it! She wanted to take their heads and have them properly face each other for once!

But she couldn't do that. As an especially annoying glasses-wearing bastard had once told her, being able to attain your own happiness was something special. It was something that you couldn't do over and over again in life. Perhaps once or twice, maybe never. Being happy is a selfish thing at its core; no matter what people may think, your own pleasure will never be the same as someone else's. Your happiness can't come from someone else's.

To achieve happiness with the help of others is not real happiness. It is an illusion of happiness that gets created by accepting the false expectations of others.

_You like _? Ah, you should confess! I'll help you! I know exactly what you should do._

In a way, this fake happiness is even worse than not achieving happiness; it is a compromise that's forced by having too many hands dip into the pot.

In the end, the most others can do is create the opportunities and give a little push forward. But happiness must be taken with your own hands. She knew that. But it still frustrated her to see that her friend still couldn't put a finger on her own happiness.

Perhaps it was something idealistic like being happy if her friend was happy. That sort of contradictory logic that didn't fit in this pretentious platitude. The truth was that Miyamoto Ruri wouldn't reach happiness just because her best friend was happy.

But it would be a good step forward for her.

And the first thing that needed to happen to do this was make Ichijou Raku aware of Kosaki's feelings. This had been accomplished at the end of the "Black Suit Invasion." However, she hadn't expected the other girls to also confess. Sure, she had been suspicious about Tsugumi and Chitoge's true feelings; meanwhile, Marika and Yui had already declared their love for Raku. But having all of those confessions at once-

It was certainly not on purpose. But those other confessions had made Kosaki's confession meaningless. There was no advantage gained from this. Everything was still on the same playing field.

Except for one fact.

And that was the all-but-confirmed suspicion that Ichijou Raku was in love with Kosaki.

Sure, Ruri had no direct evidence. But she was sure enough that she'd bet everything she had on it. If this was true, then Kosaki merely had to push the right buttons.

Being confessed to by the person you like would floor anyone. Being confessed to by five other people, that was just overkill. No doubt Raku was struggling. What Kosaki needed to do in order to bring that idiot back on track was remind him of his true feelings. The feelings that Ruri was sure he had been holding onto since middle school.

And that meant that Kosaki needed to be aggressive. Not "try" to be aggressive as she had been failing to do the past two years in high school. No, she needed to turn on the charm. She needed to get physical with Raku. Actively ask him on outings. Spend more time together.

But Kosaki was an innocent girl. She was a passive, meek, goodie-two-shoes. Compare her to the forceful, sometimes underhanded, Tachibana Marika. Compare her to the direct, so-pure-that-it-didn't-seem-real love of Kanakura Yui. Raku was in love with Kosaki. So Kosaki just needed to make him fall in love with her all over again.

Watching a porno. It was something that you couldn't see Onodera Kosaki doing. But that was exactly the point. The porno itself wasn't important; what was important was that Kosaki be able to push herself past her character type. Be able to do the things she wanted to, put her body to what her mind and heart wanted.

Yes. This was all for the sake of her best friend. Even if it meant tainting her innocence and dragging her up the stairway of adulthood. Yes, this had nothing to do with the fact that Miyamoto Ruri had been extremely proud and impressed with Kosaki when she had confessed, but then Kosaki had ruined all of that by deliberately nerfing herself with some sort of "peace treaty." Nope, it had nothing to do with how annoyed she was at how sheepy Kosaki acted after getting just one good punch out there in the open.

Nope, it wasn't like that at all.

She was just helping her best friend.

"Sorry, Ruri-chan! Did I make you wait long?"

_Three years too many, you sheep!_

Is what Ruri wanted to say sometimes.

"No. Let's go, Kosaki. We have to hurry before the store closes."

"The store?"

"Mitsuya," said Ruri.

"Eh...? Mitsuya? In the city?" said Kosaki. Hm? Weren't they going to watch a porno after school? Why were they going to a popular video rental chain in the shopping district-

Suddenly, Kosaki smiled brightly and walked briskly past Ruri.

"Aha, I forgot. I have to do some tastings for Haru today because of the new items we're adding to the menu," said Kosaki, laughing cheerfully. ULTIMATE MOVE! Make-a-convenient-excuse-while-running-away technique!

ULTIMATE MOVE!

Threaten-to-reveal-Kosaki's-feelings-for-Ichijou-

"Ah..."

Kosaki ran away.

Damn it! That stupid Ichijou! Even at a time like this, being useless!

In most cases, Ruri didn't like resorting to blackmail on Kosaki. After all, friends don't blackmail each other. However, for some inexplicable reason that had nothing to do with Kosaki, Ruri was feeling vindictive today. She took out her phone and searched for the image that she had bought from that glasses-wearing bastard a year ago after the school trip.

For a moment, Ruri hesitated. She had actually bought the picture because Kosaki looked so cute in it, but now she was going to stain those pure feelings with this act of betrayal. Perhaps there were better ways of doing these things. Maybe she could try talking to Kosaki again. Yeah, she'd try doing that. She'd just call her up and-

_Click._

Kosaki hung up.

Rapidfire texting. Ruri's thumbs moved at the speed of light!

After a few moments passed, Ruri's ringtone started playing.

"Hello?"

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAAAT!?"

"Since you're already running, we'll meet outside Mitsuya. Or else."

"Ruri-chan, you're so mean today..."

"Kosaki." Her voice was black! Kosaki could see black waves spilling out of her phone's speakers!

"Y-Yes!"

"**Hurry up.**" The line went dead with a sharp click.

Kosaki leaned against an electric pole, tears falling from her face. So scary. Why was Ruri so scary today?

* * *

><p>Although Bonyari had its fair share of local businesses, it didn't change the fact that video rental stores were starting to lose their grip on the economy due to new mobile streaming options. Of course, there were still a good number of customers, but they were largely dominated by middle-aged and elderly demographics. However, Mitsuya was an exception. Being part of a nationwide chain, Mitsuya had the manpower and the distribution to compete with the capabilities of the net.<p>

The two Bonyari students met at the Sterbucks next door to discuss their battle plan.

"Are we really going to do this...?" said Kosaki, sobbing with her head in her arms.

"W-We're already here. W-We can't back away now," said Ruri, shakily sipping a caramel macchiato.

"Ruri-chan..." started Kosaki, noticing her friend's pale complexion. "Why are you shaking?"

"It's because I'm nervous!"

"Nervous!? About what!? Wasn't this your idea!?"

"It's true that it was my idea. But it's all for your sake, Kosaki. So naturally, I have to go with you. It's not like I can trust you to buy one yourself. Besides, you'd just fall apart when you're walking inside. You'd probably do something stupid like ask the cash register where the adult video section is. So of course I have to go with you. It's not like I didn't want to go buy one myself because it'd be awkward and I've never done something like this before and I don't want to do it alone so I need my best friend to be here with me so I can force her to buy it instead of me-"

Kosaki felt her anxiety start to crumble away as Ruri said all of this with a monotone expression. So Ruri felt the same way as her. But she had still dragged her over here to do this. Kosaki wasn't exactly sure how this was supposed to be for her sake, but if her best friend was putting up this much of an effort, it must be for a good reason.

"Ok, Ruri-chan. I-I think I can do it!"

"Hm? Really?"

"Yeah!" said Kosaki, downing her doppio espresso.

"Kosaki...you were supposed to get that mixed into your-"

"I know..." said Kosaki, clenching her mouth and trembling violently. So bitter! How could something be so bitter!?

"Well then, here's the plan. We step into the store and go to the AV section. We have exactly ten minutes of browsing before a clerk comes over and asks us if we need any help."

"O-Ok...Ten minu-"

Kosaki began pounding the table as the aftertaste kicked in.

"Then when we get up to the register, act like you're not seventeen."

"Eh? Wait, what's that got do with anythin-"

"Ah? Is that Kosaki-chan and Ruri-chan?"

Ruri spat her drink into Kosaki's face. A blonde beauty was waving at them as she walked over with a boyish-looking girl in tow.

HUUUHH!? Chitoge and Tsugumi!? What were they doing here!?

"A-Ah...Chitoge-chan! What a coincidence!" said Kosaki, wiping her face with a napkin.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see you guys here!"

"Hello, Onodera-sama and Miyamoto-sama."

"What are you guys up to?" asked Chitoge, pulling up a seat at their table.

"J-Just drinking coffee," said Kosaki, laughing shrilly. _Ah...I'm such an idiot._ "What about you and Tsugumi-chan?"

"Us? We're going over to Mitsuya to get a video for Tsugumi."

"E...Eh...? Really? What video?"

"Well, she's been really into cat videos lately, so-"

"O-Ojou, I don't think Onodera-sama and Miyamoto-sama would care about hearing such mundane-"

"Ehh? Cat videos, huh?" said Kosaki, her eyes glimmering. "You're into that kind of stuff, Tsugumi-chan?"

"I-I wouldn't say into it...but I have developed an interest..." said Tsugumi, blushing furiously.

"We were talking to Marika about it and she suggested a video for us," said Chitoge.

"Marika-chan?" Kosaki and Ruri looked at each other. That was unusual. In general, Marika and Chitoge weren't on good terms. Could it be that after the confession, they had started getting along?

"Yeah, I know right? But she was pretty helpful this time. She even told us which store the video was available at."

"What video was it?"

"Something neko...? What was it again, Tsugumi?"

"I believe it was 'Netorare Neko-chan!', Ojou."

Kosaki's face was blasted with coffee again.

"Netorare? What does that mean?"

"Hmm...perhaps something like 'to take by sleeping with?'"

"Take by sleeping with...? Oh, I get it! It's about an adopted cat!"

Ruri's mouth had turned into a subway tunnel. She exchanged glances with Kosaki, who also had her mouth gaping open. Ah, so she knew too. Wait a second. Kosaki!? Where did you learn that from!? When!?

"Uh...Kirisaki-san. I don't think that video is available anymore," said Ruri, thinking fast. "We just came from Mitsuya actually and that was one of the videos my...friend wanted to watch."

"No way...they're out?"

"It must be a popular item," said Tsugumi.

""Khhh...I really want to see it now," said Chitoge, completely forgetting her original purpose. "Maybe someone returned it just now."

"Yes, we've already made our way here. It wouldn't hurt to check."

_NO!_

Ruri and Kosaki exchanged panicked looks. This wasn't good. How evil! Marika wasn't getting along with her at all! At this rate, Chitoge and Tsugumi's innocence were at risk!

"Chitoge-chan!"

"Kirisaki-san!"

Ruri and Kosaki looked at each other again. There was no helping it.

"We'll help you look," said Kosaki with a forced smile.

"Yeah, my friend would be grateful too," said Ruri, feeling like her teeth were going to crack.

"You guys don't have to do tha-"

"WE INSIST!" said the two of them. Chitoge blinked at their enthusiasm.

"Ok...ah! We can all watch it together if we find it. It'll be a girl's night!"

"O-Ojou, I'm sure that Onodera-sama and Miyamoto-sama both have things that they have to do toda-"

"NOPE, WE'RE FREE!"

"...Well, if that's the case...we'll be in your care," said Tsugumi, bowing her head. Ruri and Kosaki panted after their outburst. As the four of them left the Sterbucks and headed to Mitsuya, Ruri and Kosaki frantically whispered to each other-

"What do we do, Ruri-chan!?"

"I-It's ok. There's no guarantee that they'll have that video in stock-"

"But Marika-chan said-"

"Damn that Tachibana! If it's like that...then there's no other way. We'll have to do that."

"Huh? Do what?"

"This is actually a chance for us, Kosaki. Mitsuya recently executed some new policies. For porno rentals, they put the discs in coverless boxes now with just the title. This was partially done to address customer concerns but it also means that more sales will go to their online store and video purchases, where the cover is left intact."

"...Huh? What does that mean?"

"It means that if we're lucky, we can leave this store without them knowing about the video's contents."

"We're going to let them rent that video!?"

"Yes, Kosaki. They're going to rent that video. And then..."

Ruri's glasses glinted as they reached Mitsuya's front entrance.

"We're going to steal it from them."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Just to clarify for some that might not know about the subject; a common equivalent given to netorare (NTR) is cuckold. There are long debates about its exact definition on the Internet, but NTR is usually used to refer to the act of the protagonist's loved one being stolen from him/her. _


	21. Bonus Arc - Haru's Christmas 1

**Bonus Arc**

**Haru's Christmas**

_Part One_

* * *

><p>"You're going to a Christmas party with Ichijou-senpai and everyone?"<p>

"Yeah, it's going to be at Chitoge-chan's house. Do you want to come too, Haru?"

Onodera Haru was in her room, lying on her bed as she talked with her older sister on the phone. It was the night of Christmas Eve and the spirit of Christmas had passed through Bonyari's streets. The shopping district was full of lights and colorful promotions. On every street corner, there was a Santa Claus handing out fliers or asking for donations for the poor. And a line had formed at the local WFC that stretched all the way outside to the local WcDonald's.

"Uhh...sorry, Onee-chan. I can't. I'm...doing something with Fuu-chan for Christmas."

"Oh! Ok, I understand, Haru. Chitoge-chan was really looking forward to you coming, but I'll tell her that you're busy."

"Thanks...sorry I can't go."

"It's ok. Have fun with Fuu-chan, alright?"

"Ok. Thanks, Onee-chan. Yeah, I'll see you later."

_Click._ Haru ended the call.

And promptly buried her face into her pillow.

_Ah...what did I just do?_

A lie. Onodera Haru had just told her sister a lie. The truth was that Fuu-chan was visiting her family for Christmas. In fact, all of Haru's friends had seemed to have made plans. It was just Haru that hadn't given a single thought to Christmas.

And it was all because of a certain beansprout upperclassman named Ichijou Raku.

It had been over half a year since the Bonyari Invasion. Raku and the others had become third-year students while Haru, Fuu, and Paula had become second-years. The older students seemed to be more busy now that they had to study for university entrance exams or make preparations for their future careers.

Chitoge had said that she would go to university so that she could better help out in her mother's corporation. There were talks of the Flower Corporation creating a Bonyari branch. Tsugumi, of course, was also planning to attend the same university. Although Claude had suggested a prestigious private university for them to attend, the two had decided to go for a high-level public university in Bonyari instead.

Raku was still wanting to be a civil servant, so he was hoping to enter a competitive university where he could get serious education to better his chances in the recruiting exams. With his grades being average at best, Chitoge and Tsugumi were working hard to help him during this final year.

As for Marika, she was still adamant about marrying Raku and becoming a housewife, but her abysmal grades in the second year meant that, unless she went to cram school, she would likely be unable to graduate with everyone else. Chitoge had grudgingly accepted to tutor Marika so that she would only have to go to cram school twice a week.

Ruri was still going ahead with her plans of becoming a translator and was planning on going to America after graduating to study English. Shu had decided to pursue a career in photography and, after graduation, he was planning on doing some traveling. Although Ruri was being reluctant about it, it seemed like he would be tagging along with her to America for his first stop.

As for Yui, she would continue teaching at Bonyari High School, although she was planning on moving to an apartment to give Raku some space while he was studying.

Lastly, Kosaki had decided to go to university to explore her options. Although Mamadera wasn't very happy about it, Kosaki had agreed to go to a university with an art program so that she could also hone her strengths in decorative sculpting.

In the end, the whole gang would be splitting up and going down their own paths. It almost seemed like the confessions had never happened. Everyone was getting along and going on with their lives.

But Haru knew it was just on the surface. Kosaki had talked with her over the past few months and a lot had happened since the Bonyari Invasion. She and Chitoge had found out the truth about Raku's feelings during their summer adventure, but they hadn't confronted him about it yet. Raku had finally seemed to gotten back to his old self during the summer and the two girls didn't want to ruin that. Because this was the last year where they were guaranteed to all be together, Chitoge and Kosaki had decided to let the year pass by like normal. Things would change after graduation, but they still had one year left of their youth.

Haru felt the same way. Although she didn't hang out with the older students as much anymore, they were still some of her best friends.

But that was the reason why she had declined the invitation to the Christmas party. It was why she had lied to her sister, the best sister anyone could ever ask for.

It was because they were all her friends. They were important to her.

And Haru didn't want to get in their way.

Even though she had confessed to Raku, that didn't mean that she wanted to pursue her feelings. It was still a fact that Raku was in love with her sister. It was still a fact that Tsugumi, Chitoge, Yui, and even Marika were all closer and more suitable for Raku than she was. Although Paula had said that it didn't matter that she didn't have a key, it _really_ did matter.

The key was a piece of their childhood. They had all been together back then, they had all had a connection before Haru was even in the picture. They were all older than her, they were all in this phase of life that she was one step behind.

The past few months were enough to show that. She rarely saw Raku in school anymore. The only times they had interacted were during the summer adventure and when he came by to talk with her sister. Sure, sometimes they went on little eating adventures in the shopping district, but it wasn't like a date or anything.

After the Bonyari Invasion, Raku had clearly been suffering. He had been troubled by the hard decision he had to make, a decision that was significant enough to destroy their warm, happy, everyday life. But to be honest, Haru couldn't imagine that she had been included in that suffering. That he had considered her in his decision, that he had thought for even just a second to pick Haru over any of the other girls.

It didn't make sense. It was so dream-like. And that was exactly what it was. A dream. A wish that Haru had been holding in her heart for too long.

And she was still trying to let go. She was still trying to give up, because she knew that nothing would come out of it. It was just an unrequited love. Sweet feelings that would turn bitter. Right now, during the time when they were happiest, when they were closest; this was the best time for her to let go and move on. To enjoy the times that her sister and Chitoge were sacrificing their feelings for.

Haru sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Maybe it was impossible. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but she just wasn't able to let go of her feelings. Nothing she did worked. It was like trying to open her eyes when they were already open. It was a logical loophole, a mistake in interpretation.

Just. Not. Possible.

She had tried to move on. Maybe find someone in her year that she'd be interested in. But there was nothing. Nothing like the feeling she got around Raku. The rush that went through her body, like she was going down a steep drop. The warmth in her face and the strange thoughts that filled her head. The unnatural giddiness, the intensely calming, almost peaceful comfort that wrapped around her like a soft blanket.

People said that when you were in love, your world turned pink. What they didn't say was that it was a bright pink. A pink that was almost white because it was blinding and intense. Yet at the same time, it was tender and gentle.

Haru rolled on her bed. Well, none of this changed the fact that she had lied to her sister and had nothing planned for Christmas. She sort of regretted it now. Even her parents were attending some sort of Christmas celebration with some of their old friends. Here she was, having spent all her time worrying about her feelings and about Ichijou Raku and all the girls in love with him. Spent so much time that, now, she was all alone on Christmas Eve, with nothing to do but go to sleep.

Her heart gave a small pang. It wasn't a big deal, if you really thought about it. It was the kind of thing that people would tell you to get over. Maybe say something like, well, what about the children in Africa?

But it was still lonely. It was still a little sad that, on Christmas Eve, she was pretty much going to be a pathetic loser crying herself to sleep.

_Wait a minute, isn't that going a little too fa-_

Haru almost said something in retaliation, but then realized it was just herself. Ok, she wasn't going to cry herself to sleep. At least she still had her spirit.

_Ding dong._

Hm? A visitor? Didn't they know the shop was closed today? Couldn't they read the sign?

_Ding dong. Ding dong._

Haru huffed and got off the bed. Even a lonely, uneventful Christmas Eve wasn't going her way. Although, truth be told, she was a little happy about it. Moving around and answering the door. It got her away from dark thoughts. Maybe she could even muster up some real Christmas spirit.

"Hello? I'm sorry, but we're closed toda-" started Haru as she opened the door. But then her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock.

Because at her door were the black suits from the Bonyari Invasion.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Hello everyone and happy holidays! Sorry for the lack of updates and skipping ahead on the Porno Arc. I've been working on an entry for the LINE Webtoons Challenge League called IBAK and it's been keeping me from working on the bonus arcs. It's partially a time issue, but also because IBAK has a different atmosphere from Nisekoi. _

_The Porno Arc was already in the middle of things, so I had a hard time getting back into it with the right "feel." I decided to start a new arc so that I could refresh on the Nisekoi spirit (kudos to Moriyama for the initial suggestion). I was actually hoping to finish this before Christmas, but personal issues caused even more time constraints. In any case, I hope to wrap this up by New Year's, but we'll have to see.  
><em>


	22. Bonus Arc - Haru's Christmas 2

**Bonus Arc**

**Haru's Christmas  
><strong>

_Part Two_

* * *

><p>Haru slammed the door shut. She locked it and dove towards the countertop, sliding over the surface and taking cover.<p>

What was this!? Why were they here, at her house!?

The black suits!

What was going on? Were they here for revenge? But hadn't they lost at the invasion? Wasn't it like some sort of villain code to completely give up and move on to another town after being defeated so badly?

"Wait, she just opened the door, right?"

"You probably scared her off with your ugly mug."

"But it's hot chocolate! I thought she might want a hot drink..."

"Let's try ringing the doorbell again."

_Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong._

"You totally scared her off. Give me that mug."

"I guess I should have used a more plain-looking mu- hey! That's Haru-chan's hot chocolate!"

"Not anymore. Yeesh, I'm freezing."

"Don't you have any respect for the great Haru-chan!?"

"Hey guys, check this out. I think I figured out how to do this."

The doorbell began ringing in tune to "Jingle Bells."

"I don't get it."

"It's 'Jingle Bells.' What's not to get?"

"Would you stop messing around? Just bust the door open!"

"No! You'll scare Haru-chan!"

"Are you serious? We're proud members of the 'Shield of False Love.' Being terrifying is one of the perks. Oh wow. You know, this is pretty damn good hot chocolate."

"Thanks. I put in a little bit of burnt caramel sauce. It adds that little bitterness that makes you come back for more."

"Ok, ok. How about this, guys? It's Bump of Chicken."

What song was that? She couldn't figure it out.

Wait, no! That wasn't the point!

What were these guys doing in front of her house!?

Haru reached for the phone and decided to call 110. The cops would make it here in time, right?

_BANG!_

The door busted open.

"Oh. Crap. I was just kidding..."

"Look at what you did! Don't you know this store has to open later this week!?"

"What? They open up after Christmas? Talk about dedication. You know, my local sweets store back at home just completely clears out until after New Year's."

"Guys, guys! TM Revolution! Can you hear it?"

"For god's sake, would you leave that poor doorbell alo- Oh wait, wait. I think I got it. 'Heart of Sword,' right?"

"Sorry, Haru-chan. We'll make sure to fix this right up. We have some connections in the organization, they're quick and reliable at stuff like thi-"

The black suits came to a stop as they peered over the counter.

Onodera Haru had fainted onto the floor.

* * *

><p>"Ugh..."<p>

Bleary. Haru's eyes fluttered. Her face felt cold and stiff. Haru reached around for her blanket and then pulled it over her head.

"That's right. Be jealous."

Hm? Who was that? Someone was in her room?

Haru peeked out from under her blanket. No wait...this wasn't a blanket.

This was a black suit. She looked up and saw a man with black sunglasses look down at her and smile.

"KYAAHH!"

"HARU-CHAN!? HARU-CHAN, WHAT'S WRONG!?"

"ARE YOU INSANE, YOU'RE DRIVING! DON'T LOOK BACK HERE!"

The car skidded on the icy road and nearly hit a light pole.

"This is why I swore off fanclubs," said the black suit sitting next to Haru. Haru realized that she had been hugging his waist and quickly scrambled back to the other side of the car.

"W-Where are you taking me...?" said Haru, hating herself for the waver in her voice. Oh no, tears were already starting in her eyes. She couldn't believe it. She was going to cry right from the start!

"You bastard! What are you doing back there!? Why's Haru-chan crying?"

"Damn it, pipe down! Let me handle this." The black suit smoothed out his jacket and looked over at Haru. "You might want to put on your seatbelt."

Haru bit her lip, but didn't make a move. The black suit sighed and reached over for her belt. Haru squeaked and the car made another sharp turn.

"Would you control yourself already!? You're going to get us killed!" shouted the black suit at the driver. He finished buckling Haru in and then went back to his seat to secure his own seatbelt.

Haru was shivering. She was frightened. These black suits had just broken into her house and kidnapped her. And now they had secured her safety with a seatbelt.

She started to cry for real. This was too much. What was going on? Why were they concerned for her safety? And where was her hot chocolate!?

"Did you make her cry!? I swear to god, I will pull over right now if you made her cry!"

"I didn't make her cry! She cried all on her own!"

"Ok guys, what do you think? Classic Christmas songs or Nishino Kana? Wait wait, how about Christmas songs _by_ Nishino Kana!?"

"What do you guys want from me?" said Haru, her throat finally unlocking.

"Look, girl. We're the ones asking the questions here," said the black suit, shoving the driver's face back towards the road. "So you better answer as truthfully and quickly as possible! Got it?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Ok. Hold on," said the black suit. He leaned over into the front seats and furious whispering between the three black suits began. After a few minutes, the black suits seemed to come to an agreement.

"Alright. So first question."

Haru waited, her heart beating painfully. What could they possibly want to ask? Chitoge had been the one that beat their boss. Were they going to ask for Chitoge's whereabouts? She'd have to throw them off. She'd tell them that they went on a trip out of the country. No wait, that was too vague. She needed to be specific to give truth to her lie. Ok, she would tell them that they were lined up at the nearby WFC. But what if they took her along to go check? Well, she could tell them that they'd probably left and she had no idea where they were. But then...wouldn't they get angry? Wasn't that a bad thing?

"...Are you ok?" asked the black suit. Haru's face had grown more and more pale by the minute.

She let out a little sob and nodded.

"Ok...anyways. The first question. Now remember. If you don't answer me truthfully, then we won't be nice anymore. We'll have to play hardball."

"STOP SCARING HER, YOU BASTARD!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! ARE YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD? I HOPE TO GOD YOU HAVE INSURANCE!"

The black suit turned back to Haru.

"Now listen carefully and answer, Onodera Haru!"

Haru gulped. Her hands clenched onto the front of her pajamas.

"Do you like duck?"

"Yes, I do!" said Haru. Wait.

Huh?

The black suits made a collective sigh of relief.

"See? What'd I tell you? No one hates duck except people who've never ate it."

"I'm glad I made a reservation at the restaurant now. Did you know they do an authentic Peking Duck _and_ sushi?"

"Ok guys. You know what, I didn't have any Nishino Kana or Christmas music. So we're just going to listen to Maximum the Hormone."

Both black suits grabbed his hand before he could insert the CD.

"Let's try something a little more festive, yeah?"

"Do you have any Oku Hanako?"

"How is that festive? Look, just put on some UNCHAIN-"

More furious whispering.

"Ok, Onodera Haru. Please tell these idiots that you'd rather listen to UNCHAIN than ONE OK ROCK."

"Uhm...can we listen to Hey! Say! JUMP?"

"WHAT!?"

"H-Haru-chan...is that...really what you like?"

"Ok, I've got Super Junior!"

"NO! Absolutely not! We are not listening to that crap! You know what, just put on ONE OK ROCK!"

In the end, they finally settled on_ enka_ music that Haru was a fan of.

"...This girl has varied tastes, huh? I thought Kirisaki Chitoge was the one that liked _enka_."

"This is pretty soothing actually."

"Oh shut up. I know you're just sucking up."

"So Haru, I've got _these enka_ CDs too. What do you think?"

"HEY! How dare you refer to Haru-chan so casually!"

Haru had no idea what was going on anymore. Now that some time had passed, her mind had cleared up and she was starting to notice her surrounding environment.

They were in a sedan old enough that there were only manual locks. The heater didn't seem to work, which was the reason why it was freezing inside. There was dust all over the seats and the windows were discolored. Haru was hesitant to put her feet on the floor.

"...Can I ask you something?"

"No, I made it clear that we're the ones asking the que-"

The driver slammed the brakes so that the black suit's face jammed into the headrest.

"Of course you can, Haru-chan," said the driver, picking up speed again. "What do you want to know?"

"...You guys aren't trying to hurt me, are you?"

"Of course not! Please do not worry, Haru-chan. We have no intentions of harming you or doing anything malevolent!"

"Oh. Ok. Then...why did you guys kidnap me?"

The car swerved again.

"Just concentrate on driving! I'll explain this."

"No! NO! So far, you've done everything _except_ explain!"

"That's because you've been interrupting me with Haru-chan this, Haru-chan that-"

"Hey guys-"

"SHUT UP!" said both of the black suits. Haru felt her fear slip away a little. It was like watching a comedy act. These guys were idiots.

"Ok, Onodera Haru. This is the deal. #163 over there-"

"You can call me Satou."

"...Anyways. _Satou_ is part of your fanclub."

"I recently joined the Bonyari High School Haru fanclub specifically-"

"And he was stalking you tonight-"

"It was not stalking! It was surveillance! One's for perverse desires, the other is for the sake of security and peace of min-"

"Look, the point is, we've been watching you, Onodera Haru. And we've seen that perhaps you, more than anyone else, did not come away from the Bonyari Invasion entirely unscathed-"

"Yamada-san is just dressing it up. He's awfully sorry that he shot your love letter to pieces."

"#163! What the hell do you think you're doing, giving away my identity like that!"

"I'm Karuizawa."

"#255!"

"What. We're off-duty," said Karuizawa, browsing the track list of an _enka_ CD.

"You were the one that blew up my letter?" said Haru, remembering back to the Invasion. That's right...there had been a sniper and Paula-san had saved her. But her love letter to Raku had been destroyed...

"That...That was...I mean..."

Yamada suddenly looked like a little kid that had just been caught by the teacher.

"Sorry," said Yamada, looking away from Haru's gaze. "I was just following orders, but I guess I did a bad thing."

"_Yamada-_"

"Ok! I really did do a bad thing. I took those treasured feelings of yours and turned them into scrap. Anyways, the point is that me and #369, the other guy that was with me, wanted to make it up to you-"

"...#369? Wait, he's #163 and he's #255. And you're..."

"...I'm #10," said Yamada reluctantly.

"Who's #369?"

"Ah, he couldn't come with us," said Satou. "But he's awfully sorry too. He's the one that invited your parents to a Christmas party so that you'd be all alone at home."

"..."

"Eh? N-No! Haru-chan! That's not what I meant! I meant that we were waiting for you outside, in the dark, watching your every move-"

"Shut up already," said Yamada, kicking the front seat. "So, the point is that I'm making it up to you with a nice night out on Christmas Eve. And #163 over there-"

"Satou."

"..._Satou._ Wanted to come along to make sure I did things properly."

"Then...what about Karuizawa-san?"

"Is that seriously your surname?" said Yamada. Karuizawa nodded absentmindedly, still browsing through the tracks. Yamada sighed. "Yeah. Well, _Karuizawa's_ here for a different reason. He wanted to ask you a favor actually."

"Huh? A favor?"

"Yeah. Haru, you're good friends with Paula, right?" said Karuizawa, turning in his seat to face her.

"Paula-san? Well...I mean, I want to think that we are but..."

"Great! Hey, can you give me some advice? I'm thinking of asking Paula out."

Haru blinked. What? Ask Paula out? For what? A date? Wait a minute. This black suit...this person that had helped in destroying her school-

Wanted to...

"Uhm..."

"Look, don't mind him. He's just along for the ride," said Yamada. "Now, I hope you're ready for duck and sushi. Because that's where we're going first."

"Wait, shouldn't we head to the theater first? It's a long movie and Haru-chan might feel sleepy on a full stomach-"

"No. Are you stupid? If we go to the theater on an empty stomach, we're going to be peckish. And then we're going to spend money on concessions. Do you know how overpriced concessions are? I am not going to fill my stomach up with jacked-up popcorn so I can survive long enough to poke at a deliciously roasted duck. Duck like that deserves to be devoured."

"Wait a minute. A movie? Duck? What exactly are we doing tonigh-"

"Everything!" said Karuizawa excitedly. "Dinner and movies and shopping-"

"Maybe we should go shopping first. Haru-chan's still in her pajamas-"

"Who cares? I've been out in pajamas before. You get some weird looks, but it's not like you'll see anyone you know-"

"That's not the point. It's indecent! People will be ogling at Haru-chan in her bedtime fashion-"

"-and karaoke and driving to Tokyo to look at the lights and eating Christmas cake and staying at a hotel-"

"A hotel!? Wait a minute. I didn't hear anything about a hotel."

"I booked it. We're just going to stay for a couple of hours."

"Why would you book a hotel, Yamada!?"

"Do you know who's paying for all this!? Me! If I'm going to be splurging on Christmas Eve, I'm damn well going to splurge! If that means staying at a swanky hotel room for two hours, then damn it, we are staying at a swanky hotel room for two hours!"

Haru sank back into her seat. This...this was a dream, right? Or a nightmare? Whatever, either way, she had to be sleeping! Maybe she really had cried herself to sleep. Haru pinched her cheek. Nope, nothing. But that wasn't a sure thing, right? It was a dream, so anything could happen, right?

"Onodera Haru! Hey, Onodera HARU!"

Haru looked up to see Yamada right next to her.

"I know this is probably all a big shocker to you. Woohoo. Get over it. I did not set all this up for you to be star-dazed and thinking this is all a dream or whatever. You _will_ have fun tonight and you _will_ feel happier by tomorrow morning. Do you understand?"

Irritation. Suddenly, there was this flash of irritation that blew all her fear and anxiety away. What was this guy's deal? He said that he had planned all this to make up for shooting her love letter, but he was acting like a total jerk about it!

"No, you understand," said Haru, sitting straight up. "I don't particularly care about that love letter anymore, so you don't have to do anything. But if you're going to act all high and mighty this whole night, then I'd rather stay at home! Satou-san, please take me back."

"Wait, wait. This is the Christmas night your grandchildren will hear about when they're younger! Are you serious? This is the best Christmas Eve you'll ever have!"

Haru gritted her teeth and glared at Yamada.

"That's fine! I'd rather have a horrible Christmas than spend it with a jerk like you!"

"_YAMADA!_ Lord have mercy, I will pull this car over!"

"Cool it!" said Yamada. He looked back at Haru with a strange look on his face. It was something like admiration. "Ok. I got it wrong. You're right. This wouldn't be very fun if we're not treating each other like equals."

Yamada held out his hand to Haru.

"Let me apologize. My name is Yamada. I'm the #10 in the organization, 'Shield of False Love.' Today, I wanted to invite you, Onodera Haru, to a night out for Christmas Eve to make up for what I did to you during the Invasion. But...I suppose that's not the only reason."

Yamada glanced at Satou and Karuizawa. He sighed and gave a wry smile.

"Sure, Satou's the only one that's part of the Haru fanclub. But I'll be honest. It's a sad thing to see a girl crying alone on the night before Christmas," said Yamada. "So what do you say, Onodera Haru? Will you let us take you out tonight? I promise that, at the very least, you won't have tears in your eyes at the end of it."

"Believe us, Haru-chan! That's all we want," said Satou.

"At least watch the movie with us, Haru! It's that one movie from America, about black holes and spaceships-"

"Quiet! Don't spoil it for Haru-chan!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Satou! Everyone knows that already-"

"I didn't know that! I thought this was about a basement-"

"It's _Interstellar_, not 'Enter the Cellar,' you moron!"

And then they were shouting again. And the car was swerving again. The soft ballad of _enka_ music was filling the car.

Haru sat back, unable to stop the smile that was forming on her face.

Really...

Even a lonely, uneventful Christmas Eve wouldn't go her way.


	23. Bonus Arc - Haru's Christmas 3

**Bonus Arc**

**Haru's Christmas  
><strong>

_Part Three_

* * *

><p>"Which way do I go now, Haru-chan?"<p>

"Umm...I think you take a right turn here."

"Onodera. There is no right turn."

"Oh. Then maybe a left?"

"This is a straight road!"

It had been two hours since the black suits had picked up Onodera Haru from her shop. Not knowing how to get to Tokyo from Bonyari, the black suits had asked Haru for instructions.

Haru was sure that this was the way. She had been to Tokyo with her family several times on road trips.

"I think we just need to go straight for a bit then. There's probably going to be a turn up ahead."

"Ok, Haru-chan! Don't worry, I'm sure we're going the right way," said Satou cheerfully. Haru looked outside, feeling a little nervous. There had to be a turn, right? It wasn't like they were lost or anything. Bonyari wasn't even that far away from Tokyo. Besides, they were in a modern time with GPS navigation and 4G networks. Getting lost was something that only geezers and ancients did. Anyways, she had a great sense of direction.

A grazing cow zoomed past Haru's window.

Wait a minute.

"Umm...S-Satou-san? I think I may have made a mista-"

"By the way, Yamada-san. How are things going for New Year's?"

"What? New Year's? It's not even Christmas yet."

"Sure, but it's only a week away. Besides, since we're taking Haru-chan out tonight, New Year's is going to be the only time left for that sort of thing."

"What the hell are you talking about? What sort of thing?"

"Oh? You're being awfully shy about this, Yamada-san. Perhaps you've already prepared something extravagant for the two of you...?"

"...Satou. If you don't explain in _words_ what the fuck you're going on about, this car is going to crash."

"He's obviously talking about the Boss, dude," said Karuizawa.

An explosion. Yamada exploded backwards, spraying spit all over the back of Satou's seat.

"W-What the hell are you saying!? Why are you bringing the Boss up!?" said Yamada, his face red all the way to his ear tips.

"The Boss? Are you talking about the little girl from the Invasion?" said Haru, her inner girl senses tingling.

"Yeah, that's the Boss alright," said Satou. "Not many people know this, but Yamada-san was a good friend of hers back when they were younger-"

"SATOU, SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Ehh!? Really?" said Haru, eyes sparkling with interest. But then she remembered that she was talking to people who had participated in destroying half of her school. "...Satou-san? About your Boss...what exactly does she do?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know, would you, Haru-chan? Just to clarify, we didn't really mean to destroy your school that one time. I mean...maybe the Boss did, but I'm sure she was just a little bit out of control."

_A little?_

"But we're part of a secret organization called the 'Shield of False Love.' Our sole mission as members of this organization is to prevent the end of this world's canonical timeline due to completion of its main crisis points-"

"SATOU, FOR GOD'S SAKE, WOULD YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH ALREADY!"

Yamada breathed hard as he finished gagging Satou with his tie. He sat back into his seat and smoothed back his hair.

"Listen, Onodera Haru. All you need to know is that our organization's main goal is the safety of this world. You could say that we are more important than the Japanese government or the US military. Although the destruction and reconstruction of your school, along with any unforeseeable consequences, were regrettable, they were necessary for the greater good of this world's safety. Take comfort in that the safety of yourself and your peers is of the utmost priority for our organization."

"I...see..."

Haru didn't really get it, but it didn't sound like they were bad guys after all. Chitoge had said something similar after the Invasion. Perhaps it had been a misunderstanding? Yeah, like how she had viewed Raku as a scummy womanizer, even though it had just been how things looked due to his situation...

Ugh. Again. She was veering back onto that depressing road again. Haru shook her head and tried to stop thinking about it.

"In any case, whatever business I have with the Boss doesn't matter right now," said Yamada, clearing his throat. "What's more important is that we reach our destination. But it seems like we've still got a long way to go, so let's do something else to warm up for the night."

"Yay! Road trip games!" said Karuizawa, sitting up straighter. "Let's play! Let's play!"

"Also, put on some tunes, Karuizawa. Preferably Crystal Kay," said Yamada, brushing back his bangs. "Cause we're cool cats."

Silence.

"Pfft..."

"Ghhrrff..."

Haru held her hand to her mouth, her body shaking.

"What? What's with you guys?" said Yamada, watching the other three try to suppress their laughter. "What's so funny!?"

"Nothing...it's nothing."

"Gffufufu..."

"Yamada-san...um...how old are you again?"

Yamada spent the next half hour with his hands pressed to his face.

"Ok, let's play the 'Did it!' game!" said Karuizawa after all the laughs had passed.

"The 'Did it!' game?"

"Hfhfhhmhmh."

"...Karuizawa. Take my tie out of his mouth."

"It's a variation on a popular drinking game," said Satou after the tie was removed from his mouth. "Karuizawa here is younger than the rest of us, so we usually play the opposite of the original."

First, a person will say something that he/she has done before. If you have never done it, then you take a drink. If everyone has done it, then the player needs to take a drink.

"Although, in this case, we'll just go by points," continued Satou. "The person with the most points will be the loser."

"And you have to clap everytime you get a point!" said Yamada.

"I've got the perfect one," said Karuizawa, rubbing his hands.

"Um...do we really have to clap?" said Haru. What if it was about something embarrassing or revealing?

"Of course. Shaming is part of the game," said Yamada, a devilish smirk appearing on his face.

"Well, Haru-chan, if you're uncomfortable about it-"

"Nope! She has to do it too. Don't butt in, Satou. Sometimes, you need to step out of your comfort zone to have fun. Especially if you're having fun with other people. Besides, you might learn something special from this."

Satou became silent.

"Satou-san!?"

"Ah no. I mean, I wasn't considering it, but it was like...I mean...everyone's doing it, Haru-chan."

"Why do you sound so guilty, Satou-san!?"

"Ok, let's start! I'll go first," said Karuizawa. "Uhhh..."

What would it be? Although Haru wasn't usually someone to have indecent thoughts, at times like this, it was the first thing to come to mind. The fact was that these sort of games were easy ways to coax out deep, dark secrets under the influence of group mentality. Not that Haru was thinking that hard about it. But her inner girl instincts were saying that it was best to be cautious at this point. One false move and certain boundaries could be crossed...

"Ok, I have cooked an egg sunny-side up."

Two claps. Haru didn't make a move.

"Alright. My turn," said Satou. He thought for a minute and then said," I have joined a Haru fanclub."

Two claps.

"Wait a second. Karuizawa, what the hell are you doing?"

"Hm? What's wrong, dude?"

"Are you telling me you joined a Haru fanclub?"

"Yeah. But I quit. I'm making a Paula fanclub."

"What!?"

"And I'm going to be the only member. Paula's my waifu."

"That's not a fanclub, you idiot!"

"It's your turn, Yamada-san."

"Oh. Ehem. Well. Let's see...uhh...give me a second. I didn't think this through. Alright...uhh..."

Yamada mumbled to himself for a few minutes.

"Ok. I got it." He cleared his throat. "I have...kissed someone on the mouth."

Nobody clapped.

"Aha~ Satou. You dog, you. Who was it? Let's hear all about it now that you've revealed it with your clap."

"I didn't clap, Yamada-san."

"Come off it. You're telling me it was Karuizawa?"

"Nope, not me."

"...Onodera? I don't believe it, but I guess I had you all wrong-WOAH!"

Yamada let out a cry of surprise as he realized that Haru had sidled up right next to him. Her eyes were twinkling with such brightness that he had to use his hand to shield them.

"Yamada-san. The person that you kissed. Could it be...your Boss?"

Spit exploded all over the car.

"Y-Yamada-san!"

"Dude, no way!"

"S-Stop! Stop right now! You better not think that! No, no, no! Don't you dare!" shouted Yamada, his face blazing. "Listen, you love-starved morons! I did not kiss the Boss! Ok? It wasn't her!"

"Then who was it?" asked Haru, leaning closer.

"I-If you must know...it was at a mixer with my circle in college," said Yamada, averting his eyes. "We had a few drinks so I offered to take her home."

"T-Take her home!?" said Haru and Satou. The car started to rock as it veered off the road.

"SATOU, FOR THE LAST TIME, KEEP YOUR DAMN EYES ON THE ROAD!"

"You never told me about this, Yamada-san," said Satou as he straightened out the car.

"There's not much to tell," said Yamada. "She just said I was cute and then gave me a kiss before leaving. That's it! It wasn't anything special, ok?"

"Eh? Are you sure, Yamada-san?" said Haru, her inner girl instincts on full blast now. "It sounds like she wanted you to take her home. You should've been more aggressive, Yamada-san!"

"That...that wasn't it at all," said Yamada.

"But you met her in your circle at college, right Yamada-san? Did you like her?"

"S-She was attractive. And I would be lying if I didn't have some feelings for her. We had the same classes and we liked to eat in the same spot. Turns out we had similar interests too, so we ended up talking a lot together."

"That's amazing, Yamada-san! It's like a destined meeting. Didn't you feel like fate had brought you together, Yamada-san?"

"Fate? No, Onodera. Nothing of the sort," said Yamada with a wry smile. "That wasn't anything like destiny. It was just a guy getting hot air in his head and doing all the wrong things."

"What are you saying, Yamada-san? It seems like you were getting along very well with this girl-"

"You think so, Onodera?" said Yamada, a bite appearing in his voice now. "If love was as simple as spending time with someone and a few kisses, then it'd be a cheap, damn flimsy thing, don't you think?"

Haru blinked at the sudden chill. Contrary to what she was expecting, Yamada didn't seem to be enjoying going back down memory lane.

"Yamada-san-" started Satou.

"I know," said Yamada, opening the window. "I'm cooling off."

Yamada put his arm out the window and looked out at the passing trees. Haru didn't know what to say. It was obvious from the silence that she had hit a sensitive spot. Was it one of those things again? Perhaps it hadn't actually gone well with the girl after all. Perhaps Haru had been making assumptions and messed up again.

Like her first impressions of Raku as a danger to her sister. Like how she had assumed it was as easy as playing matchmaker with Raku and her sister to make them happy. Like how she had assumed that she would be able to just discard her own feelings.

Assumptions. Plans. Hopes and dreams. The ideal state.

But it just wouldn't go her way.

She could never get it right.

Every single time-

Even though it looked like it would go so well-

She just couldn't do it.

She couldn't get it to work.

It wasn't like the world was against her.

She just didn't have it in her. She just made mistakes.

The thing was that Onodera Haru was just a second-year high school student. A girl who was in an unrequited love. As much as she wanted to be, she wasn't a _shoujo_ heroine or a damsel waiting to be rescued by her prince.

She was just a normal girl. With normal feelings. And normal frustrations.

Haru looked out her own window. The moon had started to peek out. Its soft glow was playing against her pajamas.

Really, it wasn't about hurting Yamada-san's feelings. As much as she felt bad that she had pushed things too far unknowingly, that really wasn't the issue here. At least not for her.

The real problem-

Which had always been the real problem-

It had never been a matter of throwing away her feelings.

It had never been a matter of confessing her feelings.

Or accepting them.

Or rejecting them.

Or hiding them. Or avoiding them. Or distracting them.

It was all about having them.

Just possessing these feelings.

That was the problem. That was the issue. And it was unsolvable. Like a curse that didn't exist. Like a trick in a mind that wouldn't bend.

"Sorry about that," said Yamada, rolling the window back up. "I sort of ruined it, I guess. Let's just move on. Onodera. It's your turn."

Haru played with one of her fingers. The silence continued to stretch.

"Damn it. I guess I really bust the mood," said Yamada, sighing. "Karuizawa, just play some tunes. We must be getting close, anyways-"

"I..." started Haru, her voice small and quiet. "I have had an unrequited love."

Nobody clapped. Haru looked over at Yamada.

"Yamada-san? What happened to the girl from the mixer?"

He didn't answer immediately. His mouth moved this way and that, as if he was carefully chewing on his words.

"She asked me out," said Yamada at last. "Then I rejected her."

Suddenly, the car came to a stop. The engine whined down and the lights went out.

They had run out of fuel.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_We need more Scandals and Zones in our life.__  
><em>


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